Umbellularia Californica (California laurel)

Scientific Name
Umbellularia californica

Trade Name
California laurel

Family Name

Common Names
Bay laurel, California laurel, Myrtle, Oregon myrtle, Pepperwood, Spice tree

Regions of Distribution
North America

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]
United States

Common Uses
Bedroom suites, Bent Parts, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Millwork, Moldings, Novelties, Office furniture, Paneling , Radio – stereo – TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Stools, Tables , Trimming, Turnery, Utility furniture, Veneer, Wainscotting, Wardrobes, Woodenware

Environmental Profile
Severely overlogged

Distribution Overview
The only tree in its family found in the western United States, California laurel occurs from Oregon to California, from latitudes 44 degrees to 33 degrees north. It grows in the Coast Ranges, the southwestern Cascade Range and all along the western Sierra Nevada. Its range is limited to within 160 miles east of the Pacific Coast. Many laurel trees are found in parks and riparian areas.

Heartwood Color

Darkens when wet

Sapwood Color

Grain

It is described as close, tight, and smooth. California laurel is highly prized for its excellent and swirling stumpwood, clusters, and burls. Material from Oregon exhibits attractive mottled figures which range from fine, delicate dark stripes to heavy splotches, occasionally marked with gold and silver streaks

Texture

Luster

Natural Durability

Odor

Silica Content

Kiln Schedules

Drying Defects

End-Checks may develop due to refractory wood

Ease of Drying

Logs are often submerged in water in order to develop the darker colors that are so popular with carftsmen, and seasoning requires years of great care to yield the finest color effects.

Tree Size

Product Sources
The material is scarce in the lumber form, but small pieces of wood are often available from dealers at high prices. Supplies of the highly figured Myrtle burls are very limited. They are the highest priced of all American woods when available.

Comments
The wood is used almost exclusively for wooden novelties of all varieties and sizes.

Boring

Carving

Cutting Resistance

Slight resistance

Gluing

Mortising

Moulding

Interlocked grain and small burls may cause chip-out

Movement in Service

Nailing

Planing

Resistance to Impregnation

Routing & Recessing

Sanding

Screwing

Turning

Prized by wood turners

Polishing

Resists grain filing

Staining
Seldom stained, but if color changes are desired, thin coats of dyes and tranparent stains are recommended over pigmented products.

Varnishing

Strength Properties

Hard and heavy. resistant to wearing and marring

Numerical Data

References
Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin.

California Department of Forestry. Comparative Physical & Mechanical Properties of Western & Eastern Hardwoods. Prepared by Forest Products Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California. n/d.

Constantine, Jr., A.J. 1975. Know your Woods – A Complete Guide to Trees, Woods, and Veneers. Revised by H.J. Hobbs. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York.

Dave Faison. Into the Woods. Personal Communication, 1993.

Kline, M. 1978. Umbellularia californica – California laurel. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 358-359.

Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc., Fresno, California.

Little, E.L. 1980. The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Trees – Western Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York.

Niemiec, S.S., G.A. Ahrens, S. Willits, and D.E. Hibbs. March, 1995. Hardwoods of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University, College of Forestry, Research Contribution 8, Forest Research Laboratory, Department of Forest Products, Corvallis, Oregon.

Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. 1980. Textbook of Wood Technology, 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.

USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.

Western Wood Products Association. 19__. Woods of the Western USA. Published and distributed by the Western Wood Products Association, Yeon Building, 522 S.W. Fifth Avenue, Portland, Oregon.