Laurales

Common name:                unknown  

Conservation status:  unknown

Etymology:   

• x

Flowers:                  

• x

Fruit:                         

• x

Leaves:         

• x

Stem & branches: 

• x

Roots:         

• x

Habit:        

• Trees and shrubs

Habitat:   

• x 

Distribution:                  

• Most of the species are tropical and subtropical, though a few genera reach the temperate zone

• The best known species in this order are: 

  • those of the Lauraceae (for example bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, and Sassafras)

  • and the ornamental shrub Calycanthus of the Calycanthaceae

• 
  

Species:                     

• World:            about 2500-2800 species from 85-90 genera in 7 families

• Australia:      S,    G

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • They are magnoliids, related to the Magnoliales

  • The earliest lauraceous fossils are from the early Cretaceous

  • It is possible that the ancient origin of this order is one of the reasons for its highly diverged morphology

  • Presently no single morphological property is known, which would unify all the members of Laurales

  • The presently accepted classification is based on molecular and genetic analysis

• Classification

  • The first botanist to think of the Laurales as a natural group was H. Hallier in 1905

  • He viewed them as being derived from the Magnoliales

  • During some or all of the 20th century, the Laurales generally included Amborella and the plants now classified in Austrobaileyales and Chloranthaceae

  • They were not removed until the advent of molecular data in the late 20th century; their previous inclusion made it harder to determine the relationships within the Laurales and between the Laurales and other groups

• The following families are included in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system (APG III):