bay tree, any of several trees with aromatic leaves, especially the sweet bay, or bay laurel (Laurus nobilis; family Lauraceae), source of the bay leaf used in cooking. Native to the Mediterranean region, sweet bay is an attractive evergreen tree that can reach as many as 18 metres (60 feet) in height. Male and female flowers are borne separately on individual trees. The thick leathery leaves are roughly oval in shape and are glossy dark green in colour.
The related California laurel (Umbellularia californica) is an ornamental tree also called the bay tree. The bay rum tree, or simply bay (Pimenta racemosa), has leaves and twigs that, when distilled, yieldoil of bay, which is used in perfumery and in the preparation of bay rum; it is a member of the family Myrtaceae.