"Steve Pope" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
> cyberpurrs > wrote:
>
>>"Michael Kuettner" > wrote in message
>
>>> "Steve Pope" > schrieb im Newsbeitrag
>
>>>> "Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
>
>>>>> Which bay leaf? There are four different species with
>>>>> greatly different properties that produce "bay leaf".
>
>>>> Okay, I'm aware of Mediterranean bay and California bay...
>>>> what are the other two (or are there four speceis among
>>>> these two?)
>
>>> Mediterranean, Californian, West-Indian and Indonesian.
>
>>Are they all laurel?
>
> Of the four mentioned on the Wikipedia page, three
> are family _lauraceae_ (California, Mediterranean, and Indian),
> and only one is genus _laurus_ (Mediterranean).
>
> However the same page says the Indian one is "not a laurel",
> while the California and Mediterranean ones are, so this
> does not seem completely consistent to me.
>
Californian bay leaf (Umbellularia californica) belongs to the Lauraceae.
Mediterranean bay leaf (Laurus nobilis), too.
Indonesian bay leaf (Eugenia polyantha) belongs to the Myrtaceae.
_West-Indian_ bay leaf are the leaves of the pimentum (allspice) tree
(Pimanta dioica),
which belongs to the Myrtaceae.
_Indian_ bay leaf (Cinnamomum tamala) belongs to the Lauraceae.
The Indian bay leaf may be used instead of cinnamon.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner