Litsea 

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Magnoliids > Laurales > Lauraceae > Litsea

Other links:     Flora in Australia  Vol 2, p 210

Plant  information

Common name:                Bollywood  

Conservation status:  . . .

Etymology:   

• Litsea is derived from Chinese 'li', means plum, and 'tse', means small

Flowers:                  

• The inconspicuous flowers range from greenish to white, greenish-yellow, to yellowish

• The inflorescences are pseudo-umbels, flat-topped or rounded flower clusters, each pseudo-umbel with an involucre of four or six decussate bracts

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

• The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen depending on species, and aromatic

• They have leaves alternate or opposite or in whorls

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• They are typically dioecious trees or shrubs

Habitat:   

Distribution:                  

• A widely distributed genus of about 400 species occurring in Asia (as far N as Korea and Japan), Malesia, Australia, Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Central and North America

Species:                     

• World:            ~ 400 species

• Australia:     11 species (8 endemic)

• The genus includes a large number of accepted species in tropical and subtropical areas of North America and Asia

Additional notes:     

• Use

  • This genus is of important commercial value: 4 species produce millable logs, usually a fine, lightweight timber referred to as 'bollywood'

  • A further 5 species produce millable logs but these are not commonly utilised

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litsea (2023)