Chilean laurel  (Laurelia sempervirens)

The Chilean laurel is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List (1).

The Chilean laurel (Laurelia sempervirens) is a large, evergreen tree with smooth, pale bark that cracks with age, coming off in roughly circular plates (5) (6). Both the wood and the leaves are strongly aromatic (4) (5) (6). The bright green leaves of the Chilean laurel are arranged in opposite pairs, and are oblong in shape, narrowed at the base. The leaves are leathery in texture, shiny, and around 5 to 10 centimetres long and 2.5 to 5 centimetres wide (4) (5) (6). The gently serrated edges help distinguish this tree from the closely related Laureliopsis (Laurelia) philippiana, which has more deeply toothed leaf margins (7).

The Chilean laurel is endemic to Chile, where it is restricted to the centre of the country, from the region of O’Higgins south to Los Lagos (1) (7), at elevations of up to 700 metres (4).

The Chilean laurel inhabits moist seasonal forest, preferring deep, moist soils (1) (4) (8).

The Chilean laurel flowers between October and November (4). The small, greenish-white flowers are borne on inflorescences of between 5 and 20 flowers, and are usually unisexual (containing either male or female reproductive organs), although both male and female flowers occur on the same tree (4) (5) (6). Fruiting takes places between January and February (4), the fruit consisting of a small, green, woody capsule, around 1.5 to 2.5 centimetres in length, containing a single seed. The seed of the Chilean laurel is oval or spindle-shaped, and covered in short hairs (4) (6).

The wood of the Chilean laurel is used for cabinets and furniture (3) (9) and as timber in construction, and the flowers, leaves and bark are used in traditional medicine to treat a range of conditions from colds to headaches (1) (4) (8) (10). The species is also used to dye wool a greenish colour (4), and the fruits and seeds are reported to be used as a spice, known as Chilean nutmeg (11). As a result of these uses, the Chilean laurel may be under threat from overexploitation in the north of its range (1).

There are no known conservation measures currently in place for the Chilean laurel. It is not thought to be globally threatened (1), but, especially considering its somewhat restricted distribution, the species may benefit from further monitoring to ensure it does not suffer too heavily from overexploitation in the future.

Read more about the Chilean laurel and other plant species in Chile:

• Enciclopedia de la Flora Chilena (in Spanish):
  http://www.florachilena.cl/index.php