laurel family

American  

noun

1. the plant family Lauraceae, characterized by evergreen or deciduous trees having simple, leathery leaves, aromatic bark and foliage, clusters of small green or yellow flowers, and fruit in the form of a berry or drupe, and including the avocado, bay, laurels of the genera Laurus and Umbellularia, sassafras, spicebush (Lindera benzoin ), and the trees that yield camphor and cinnamon.

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Example Sentences

Because it kills members of the laurel family, the disease was named laurel wilt or laurel rot.

From Washington Times

Sassafras, sas′a-fras, n. a tree of the laurel family, common in North America; also the bark of its root, a powerful stimulant.—Sassafras oil, a volatile aromatic oil distilled from the sassafras.

From Project Gutenberg

The laurel family, a large group of aromatic trees and shrubs found chiefly in the tropics, includes with our sassafras, laurels, and bays the cinnamon and camphor trees.

From Project Gutenberg

The ambrosia beetle targets the ubiquitous red bay and close relatives in the laurel family, such as sassafras.

From US News

Some of the laurel family are responsible for the death of a good many goats yearly, and some milk-weeds will kill if taken in sufficient amount at certain times of the year.

From Project Gutenberg