California bay laurel

Note The oil from Laurus nobilis L. should not be confused with that of the West Indian bay tree or the California bay laurel. 

The leaves of the California bay laurel Umbellularia califomica, Lauraceae), sometimes used as a spice, contain 0.5-4% of an irritating oil of which 40-60% is umbellulone (53). The vapors of this compound produce severe headache, skin irritation, and, in some cases, unconsciousness. This plant is one of several avoided by deer. Essential oils inhibit microbial activity in mminants and dismpt digestive processes (MacGregor et al., 1974 Buttery et al., 1974). 

The wonderful fragrance of leaves from the California bay laurel is due primarily to myrcene, a simple terpene. 

Thioesterase activity has also been targeted as a means of producing medium-chain saturated fatty acids (MCFA) in BOS. MCFA, such as lauric acid (12 0), are widely used for industrial applications, including cosmetics and surfactants, as well as for certain food applications such as confectionary. In most BOS, including canola, the endogenous acyl-ACP thioesterase exhibits a preference for 18-carbon FAs. Production of MCFA required the introduction of a thioesterase with appropriate medium-chain specificity, such as the 12 0 ACP-thioesterase from the California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) (Voelker et al., 1996). Although the expression of this enzyme in canola resulted in a relatively high accumulation of lauric acid. 

The leaves of the so-called Californian Bay, a large forest tree common on the mountains of California and the Pacific slope, yield from 2-5 to 5 5 per cent, of an essential oil. The tree is also known as the mountain laurel, the sassafras laurel, and the Californian olive. Botanically it is Umbellularia Californica Oreodajihne Galiformca). The oil has the following characters —... 

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