Parque Nacional Garajonay

Canarian laurel (Laurus novocanariensis)

A species endemic to Macaronesia which is widely represented in the Park, reaching a height of twenty-five metres. It reproduces easily, both by seeds and by suckers which grow from the main trunk, which appear massively in the natural regeneration of the forest. The leaves are used in the kitchen although they are less aromatic than those of their continental cousin, the Laurus nobilis. There are male and female trees. They grow profusely in the laurel woodland and to a lesser extent among the fayal-brezal. The fruits serve as a foodstuff for the laurisilva pigeons and the wood was once used to manufacture agricultural instruments, for building and as firewood.