Azores laurel

Laurus azorica, the Azores laurel, is an evergreen dioecious tree in the family Lauraceae that grows up to about 15 m tall. Its foliage consists of large, shiny dark green, broadly ovoid leaves 7–14 cm long and 4–8 cm wide with smooth margins. Small fragrant cream-coloured flowers about 1 cm across appear in pairs beside the leaves, followed by a black drupe 1–2 cm long. The species is endemic to the Azores archipelago in the North Atlantic, where it occurs on all of the islands and grows in diverse habitats including laurisilva forests, high-elevation juniper woodlands, lava flows, coastal scrubland, and montane environments. It is a characteristic component of the laurel forests that once covered much of Macaronesia, and is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. The plant resembles its close relative Laurus nobilis but is distinguished by leaf size and the dioecious habit.