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Bay Laurel

Laurus nobilis · Lauraceae · also called Bay Leaf Tree, Bay Tree, Grecian Laurel

Your local evidence lens

Separate evidence questions, never one approval badge

Set a ZIP to compare this record with state distribution, native range, USDA hardiness, and invasive records.

A genus split is not a placement verdict. Set a ZIP to read the local documented split.

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence: Highly flammable — location does not change the cited classification.
Fire-performance conditions: 1 condition stated in cited fire-evidence rows.
Fire ecology context: No section-reviewed fire-ecology context is normalized.
Placement evidence: 4 source placement records; source schemes remain separate.
Evidence regions: Australian Capital Territory, Australia; Catalonia, Spain; Córdoba, southern Spain; Dorset, United Kingdom; Global; Israel; Mediterranean southeast France; North Carolina / southeastern US
Maintenance: No sourced horticultural maintenance assertion is normalized; fire-test conditions do not supply maintenance advice.

2. Why this plant is relevant here

State distribution: Documented in CA, NC.
Native range: No current cited or legacy state native range is normalized.
Introduced / established: No introduced or established row is normalized; that does not prove native status.
USDA hardiness: Documented range 8b–10b.

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

Legal-list status: Set a location for an exact legal-list result; source silence is not clearance.
Seed-list status: Set a location to compare the separate state noxious-weed seed layer.
Reported invasive here: 1 ecological invasive report; set a location to distinguish exact from regional context.
Broader regional context: Aggregate AK, HI, and L48 evidence is shown only as regional context, never as an exact-state finding.
Federal context: Federal designations remain separate from state legal-list results.

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) — Photo: (c) Gianni Del Bufalo bygdb, some rights reserved (CC BY) (CC BY), via iNaturalist. Species-typical, not necessarily this cultivar.

Form: tree
USDA hardiness: 8b–10b
Grows in: CA, NC
Rated in: Australian Capital Territory, Australia; Catalonia, Spain; Córdoba, southern Spain; Dorset, United Kingdom +4
Family: Lauraceae
Evidence: 37 cited sources

Plant hardiness evidence

These values describe the plant source. Your ZIP zone comes from the separate 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Whole-zone values stay whole-zone, and a single unresolved value is not treated as a tolerance range. Different source boundaries stay separate: overlapping statements are compared independently, while only ranges with no shared zone are called a conflict.

North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — plant profiles and flammability ratings · record laurus-nobilis · live profile accessed 2026-08-26 · as of 2026-08-26

8b–10b explicit range · half zone precision · source stated

Source taxon: Laurus nobilis · exact match.

Source location: Laurus nobilis profile, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone field.

Conditions in the fire evidence

These describe tested or rated plant material. They are not horticultural maintenance instructions.

green: The ignition index based on flammability of vegetation improves planning in the WUI evidence row

Where its sources say to plant it

Placement rules below use each source's own distances or named zones, tied to its rating. They are not interchangeable with the directory's current Zone 0 guidance.

Guía de pirojardinería: not suitable inside the 25-metre maximum-risk zone [girona-2020-iuf-25m-suitability] (with its avoid rating)
North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: laurus-nobilis [nc-toolbox-flammability-facet] (with its recommendation)
Canberra Plant Selector: filtered result page 1 [canberra-selector] (with its recommendation)
השרפה בהרי יהודה – 2021: ניתוח: recommendations, treatment of public-use forest areas [judean-hills-2021-less-flammable-than-pine] (with its recommendation)

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Avoids (4)

The ignition index based on flammability of vegetation improves planning in the WUI — Landscape and Urban Planning (Molina, Martín, Rodríguez y Silva & Herrera) · 2017 · original source Primary evidence Lab-tested lineage: molina-uco-tree

“Extremely flammable (Valette 5)” · score 5 (valette-0-5-live-leaf) · condition: green

Table 2 reports 118.6% foliar moisture, 8.86 s mean time to ignition, and 5.9 s mean flame duration across 200 live-leaf samples.
Protecting your home from wildfire — plants and tips that can reduce your risk — Dorset Heaths Partnership / Firewise UK / University of Exeter wildFIRE Lab · 2024-10 · original source Primary evidence Lab-tested lineage: exeter-wildfire-tree

“Red traffic-light class — Bay”

The leaflet warns that dead, dry parts can produce flames over 2.5 m and advises against planting it directly beside a home or shed.
Sensibilité des haies face aux incendies de forêt sous climat méditerranéen — Office national des forêts, Direction territoriale Méditerranée · 2012 · original source Primary evidence Lab-tested lineage: onf-pyrosudoe-tree

“Forte fire sensitivity”

The fiche's overall sensitivity combines experimental-bench inflammability, intensity, and combustion measurements with foresters' observations of fire damage.

Source wording: “Sensibilité au feu : Forte”
Guía de pirojardinería — guía práctica de jardinería adaptada a la prevención de incendios forestales — Diputació de Girona and Bombers de la Generalitat de Catalunya · 2020 Spanish edition · original source Primary evidence Expert-curated lineage: elvira-hernando-1989 + cooperem-tree

“DESACONSEJADA”

Laurus nobilis is rated “DESACONSEJADA” by the guide's qualitative IUF garden-suitability method. The method assumes species-specific care and integrates fire evidence with fuel structure, maintenance, origin, invasiveness, and expert fire-service experience.

Listed without a rating (30)

FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

30 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.
- “ignition frequency (%): 100” · score 100 (FLAMITS — ignition frequency (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 1418; Ignitability measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND. Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.
- “maximum sample temperature (°C): 463.8” · score 463.8 (FLAMITS — maximum sample temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 1612; Combustibility measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND. Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.
- “burning duration (s): 12.4” · score 12.4 (FLAMITS — burning duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 1806; Sustainability measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND. Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.
- “estimated burnt biomass (%): 32” · score 32 (FLAMITS — estimated burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 2000; Consumability measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND. Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.
- “time to flaming (s): 8.58” · score 8.58 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 5557; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Kauf2014-1; sampling may. Primary study Kauf2014: Kauf, Z., Fangmeier, A., Rosavec, R., & panjol, . (2014). Testing Vegetation Flammability: The Problem of Extremely Low Ignition Frequency and Overall Flammability Score. Journal of Combustion, 2014, 1-10.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 588.2” · score 588.2 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 5565; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Kauf2014-1; sampling may. Primary study Kauf2014: Kauf, Z., Fangmeier, A., Rosavec, R., & panjol, . (2014). Testing Vegetation Flammability: The Problem of Extremely Low Ignition Frequency and Overall Flammability Score. Journal of Combustion, 2014, 1-10.
- “temperature at flaming (°C): 412.4” · score 412.4 (FLAMITS — temperature at flaming (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 5573; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Kauf2014-1; sampling may. Primary study Kauf2014: Kauf, Z., Fangmeier, A., Rosavec, R., & panjol, . (2014). Testing Vegetation Flammability: The Problem of Extremely Low Ignition Frequency and Overall Flammability Score. Journal of Combustion, 2014, 1-10.
- “flaming duration (s): 28.5” · score 28.5 (FLAMITS — flaming duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 5581; Sustainability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Kauf2014-1; sampling may. Primary study Kauf2014: Kauf, Z., Fangmeier, A., Rosavec, R., & panjol, . (2014). Testing Vegetation Flammability: The Problem of Extremely Low Ignition Frequency and Overall Flammability Score. Journal of Combustion, 2014, 1-10.
- “burning duration (s): 37.08” · score 37.08 (FLAMITS — burning duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 5589; Sustainability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Kauf2014-1; sampling may. Primary study Kauf2014: Kauf, Z., Fangmeier, A., Rosavec, R., & panjol, . (2014). Testing Vegetation Flammability: The Problem of Extremely Low Ignition Frequency and Overall Flammability Score. Journal of Combustion, 2014, 1-10.
- “time to flaming (s): 8.86” · score 8.86 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 9298; Ignitability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Molina2017-1; sampling summer. Primary study Molina2017: Molina, J. R., Martín, T., Rodríguez Y Silva, F., & Herrera, M. Á. (2017). The ignition index based on flammability of vegetation improves planning in the wildland-urban interface: A case study in Southern Spain. Landscape and Urban Planning, 158, 129-138.
- “flaming duration (s): 5.9” · score 5.9 (FLAMITS — flaming duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 9316; Sustainability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Molina2017-1; sampling summer. Primary study Molina2017: Molina, J. R., Martín, T., Rodríguez Y Silva, F., & Herrera, M. Á. (2017). The ignition index based on flammability of vegetation improves planning in the wildland-urban interface: A case study in Southern Spain. Landscape and Urban Planning, 158, 129-138.
- “flammability value: 5” · score 5 (FLAMITS — flammability value)
  
  FLAMITS record 9334; Ignitability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Molina2017-1; sampling summer. Primary study Molina2017: Molina, J. R., Martín, T., Rodríguez Y Silva, F., & Herrera, M. Á. (2017). The ignition index based on flammability of vegetation improves planning in the wildland-urban interface: A case study in Southern Spain. Landscape and Urban Planning, 158, 129-138.
- “time to flaming (s): 29” · score 29 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 15815; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Belcher2017-1; sampling . Primary study Belcher2017: Belcher, C. M., & Hudspith, V. A. (2017). Changes to Cretaceous surface fire behaviour influenced the spread of the early angiosperms. New Phytologist, 213, 1521-1532.
- “time to flaming (s): 4” · score 4 (FLAMITS — time to flaming (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 15820; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Belcher2017-1; sampling . Primary study Belcher2017: Belcher, C. M., & Hudspith, V. A. (2017). Changes to Cretaceous surface fire behaviour influenced the spread of the early angiosperms. New Phytologist, 213, 1521-1532.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4151.14” · score 4151.14 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 15825; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Belcher2017-1; sampling . Primary study Belcher2017: Belcher, C. M., & Hudspith, V. A. (2017). Changes to Cretaceous surface fire behaviour influenced the spread of the early angiosperms. New Phytologist, 213, 1521-1532.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 832.15” · score 832.15 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 16249; Combustibility measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Pacheco2022-1; sampling october to november 2022. Primary study Pacheco2022: Pacheco, A. S., Goodman, H. D., Hankenson, L., Fisk, J. J., Ortiz, A., Marinace, H. M., ... Tng, D. Y. P. (2022). Fighting fire with food: Assessing the flammability of crop plant species for building fire resilient agroforestry systems. in review, preprint.
- “burning duration (s): 12.5” · score 12.5 (FLAMITS — burning duration (s))
  
  FLAMITS record 16250; Sustainability measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Pacheco2022-1; sampling october to november 2022. Primary study Pacheco2022: Pacheco, A. S., Goodman, H. D., Hankenson, L., Fisk, J. J., Ortiz, A., Marinace, H. M., ... Tng, D. Y. P. (2022). Fighting fire with food: Assessing the flammability of crop plant species for building fire resilient agroforestry systems. in review, preprint.
- “estimated burnt biomass (%): 7.5” · score 7.5 (FLAMITS — estimated burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 16251; Consumability measurement; plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Pacheco2022-1; sampling october to november 2022. Primary study Pacheco2022: Pacheco, A. S., Goodman, H. D., Hankenson, L., Fisk, J. J., Ortiz, A., Marinace, H. M., ... Tng, D. Y. P. (2022). Fighting fire with food: Assessing the flammability of crop plant species for building fire resilient agroforestry systems. in review, preprint.
- “burnt biomass (%): 5” · score 5 (FLAMITS — burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 18364; consumability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “burnt biomass (%): 52” · score 52 (FLAMITS — burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 18391; consumability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “burnt biomass (%): 39.5” · score 39.5 (FLAMITS — burnt biomass (%))
  
  FLAMITS record 18418; consumability measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 85” · score 85 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18445; Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 270” · score 270 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18472; Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 415” · score 415 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18499; Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “flame height (cm): 0.5” · score 0.5 (FLAMITS — flame height (cm))
  
  FLAMITS record 18526; Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “flame height (cm): 2.5” · score 2.5 (FLAMITS — flame height (cm))
  
  FLAMITS record 18553; Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “flame height (cm): 1.1” · score 1.1 (FLAMITS — flame height (cm))
  
  FLAMITS record 18580; Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 85” · score 85 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18607; Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 300” · score 300 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18634; Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.
- “maximum flame temperature (°C): 480” · score 480 (FLAMITS — maximum flame temperature (°C))
  
  FLAMITS record 18661; Combustibility measurement; plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device thermal analyzer; site Wesolowski2003-1; sampling ND. Primary study Wesolowski2003: Weso?owski, M., & Konieczynski, P. (2003). Thermal decomposition and elemental composition of medicinal plant materialsLeaves and flowers Principal component analysis of the results. Thermochimica Acta, 397, 171180.

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Last verified 2026-08-26. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: USDA PLANTS · GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · ITIS

Laurus nobilis (Bay Laurel, Bay Leaf Tree, Bay Tree, Grecian Laurel). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/laurus-nobilis/. Last verified 2026-08-26.