There are at well over 200 species worldwide, from at least 70 different genera, that have the word laurel as all or part of one or more of their common names and except as specifically stated, I have no idea which of them are represented on this page.
There is at least some confusion between woods listed as laurel and those listed as myrtle. I have pages for both of those listings on this site, but I am NOT confident that the distinctions that I have found are correct or consistent.
my samples (colors are accurate):
sample plank and end grain listed as bay laurel / Umbelluria california (which I take to be an incorrect name that SHOULD be Umbellularia californica)
end grain closeup of the sample piece directly above
The following pics are all of a piece of "mountain laurel / Sophora secundiflora" that was contributed to the site by James Lopez whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. James tells me this is a cutoff from the end of a burl section and that it grows in central Texas. My data shows that it also grows in Mexico.
both faces
end grain and a side shot
end grain closeup and face grain closeup
veneer, sold as "fiddleback", and I find that the "fiddleback" representation is commonly used for this variety, BUT the "fiddleback" figure is very faint and to my mind somewhat bogus. I consider that there is zero probabilitly that anyone in their right mind would use this for the back of a fiddle.
figured veneer
found in a mixed lot of veneer marked as "laurel cinnamon burl" --- I don't know if it belongs here or not so I'm putting it here for now but will do more research
burl veneer --- colors are accurate
burl veneer sheet and closeup --- colors are accurate
This veneer sheet of Far Eastern laurel burl was loaned to me by John Koehn whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
This veneer sheet of South American laurel burl was loaned to me by John Koehn whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
great laurel (Rhododendron maximum, also listed as rose bay) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views
web pics
I have been told by a usually reliable source that there are many types of laurel, and that it only exists as a burl. I have no idea how representative any of these web-pics are. Some of the web-pics I have found are clearly NOT burls, and my own sample is not a burl, so someone is wrong somewhere. I will attempt to get more information. Also, because many dealers do so, I have separated out "East Indian" laurel, and you will find that variety on a separate page.
three planks from the same vendor
listed as Oregon laurel
listed as California laurel
planks --- the first one was not listed as a burl but clearly is
two pieces of burl veneer from the same vendor
burl veneer, some in matched pairs
cluster burl veneer
burl veneer from a vendor whose pics make many woods look green regardless of the actual color of the wood
three pieces of "fiddleback" veneer --- see comments with my own sample of "fiddleback" venner
"figured" veneer, which seems to be just a more honest (to my mind) way of describing what is sometimes called "fiddleback" in this species.
misc veneer sheets with sapwood, all from the same vendor.
veneer
"chilean burl veneer"
Chilean laurel
"cinnamon burl veneer"
"myanmar" veneer
listed as "cluster swirl" veneer, whatever that means
East Indian Laurel
east indian planks
east indian misc veneer pieces
East Indian flat cut veneer
East Indian quartersawn figured veneer
east indian fiddleback veneer
east indian figured veneer --- the figure, sometimes listed as "fiddleback" is very faint
East Indian fiddleback veneer with a stronger figure strong than one usually finds in this variety
figured East Indian laurel veneer, also with a "figure" so faint as to almost meaningless as a designation
bay laurel, all from the same vendor and since it's the BogusColorVendor, I suspect that the wood is not nearly as colorful as shown here.
not even listed as figured or anything special, but what a great looking plank resawn into a bookmatched pair
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