I recently had a visit from an arborist. By happenstance I pointed to a Laurel tree. I was corrected, that was a Sumac. "As in Poison Sumac?" I replied. Had I spent years embracing the romance of the Laurel tree, when I was looking at Sumacs? Bummer!
I always wonder how it could be that the Laurel tree, which is highly flammable, could be indigenous. Seems counter-intuitive to me. Better yet, how was it that Laurels still proliferate when the LAFD pitches are always harping on how the Laurel stores oil in its truck and is very dangerous. “Get rid of it,” they implore us.
As usual I considered using their leaves — bay leaves — for culinary purposes. Although with my uncanny ability to misidentify poisonous plants, I held off on the leaves and berries until some authoritative source confirmed for me that a tree was actually a Laurel. I did say to myself that these black olive looking fruits are all over the ground. How come the animals are not eating them? I’m not prepared to throw myself under the bus on this one. I’m not eating any berries unless a Park Ranger is standing two feet away.
So, the California Laurel, Latin name —Umbelluleria Californica — is presumably how Laurel Canyon got its name. Thank God this task was not left to me. We’d have been Sumac Canyon. Doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as Laurel Canyon. And clearly doesn’t boast the auspicious history of the Laurel tree.
In Pliny's "Natural History," written in 77 AD, it is said that “laurel guards the doorways of great men's houses, and is never struck by lightning,” folklore that continues into modern times. In Greek mythology, the Maenads, Wild Women, were female followers of Dionysus. They chewed laurel at Full Moon to induce frenzy, then rushed out to assault travelers and tear children and animals to pieces. I really need to do more research on the ghost stories that surround Mulholland Drive. Hermes is said to have invented fire by striking laurel and pomegranate together. Julius Caesar is often depicted with a grown of laurel leaves. And to this day, folklore holds that the scent of the tree’s crushed leaves can both relieve or produce a wallapalooser of a headache. You have to begin to appreciate how the indigenous people practiced medicine.
As a nod to the many writers and thespians in the area: “The Bay-trees in our country have all wither’d” (Shakespeare, Richard II). An omen portending the death of great leaders.
So having done my Laurel vs. Sumac research, I’ve concluded that what we have are traditional Laurel trees, with their long proud history, and Laurel Sumacs. It’ll work for me. The Laurel Sumacs — Malosma Laurina — are considered part of the cashew family.
Now I know I have not seen anything that looks like a cashew nut on these trees. Instead, I am told, look for clusters of red berries after the whitish bouquets of flowers. The Chumash made flour from the dried fruits of Malosma Laurina, and they used the root bark to make a tea for treating dysentery. I am beginning to think that an herbalist could make a darn good living up here in the hills, curing or killing people, depending on the terms of employment.
