Persea borbonia, redbay
Van Deelen, Timothy R. 1991. Persea borbonia, redbay. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/perbor
| Abbreviation | Common Name | Scientific Name | Classification | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plants | ||||
| PERBOR | redbay | Persea borbonia | Life Form: Plants/Shrub, Plants/Tree Kingdom: Plantae Class: Dicot Order: Laurales Family: Lauraceae Genus: Persea | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Native Invasiveness: Noninvasive |
Taxonomy
The currently accepted scientific name for redbay is Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng. (Lauraceae). Morphological variety complicates redbay taxonomy. Three varieties, also regarded as separate species, are distinguished based on habitat differences and the morphology of the hair on the undersides of the leaves:
- P. b. var. borbonia - typical variety
- P. b. var. humilis (Nash) Kopp [P. humulis Nash] - commonly known as silkbay; distinguished from the typical variety by especially dense hair [12]; restricted to the oak (Quercus spp.)-pine (Pinus spp.) scrub of peninsular Florida [4].
- P. b. var. pubescens (Pursh) Little [P. palustris (Raf.) Sarg.] - commonly known as swampbay; distinguished from the type by crooked hair [13] and an affinity for swampy areas [12,20].
This review follows Little [29] and Kartesz and Kartesz [22] who favor three varieties. There are no recognized subspecies or forms.
Synonyms
- Tamala borbonia (L.) Raf.
- Tamala pubescens (Pursh) Small
Other Common Names
silkbay, shorebay, scrub-bay, swampbay
General Distribution
Redbay grows on the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains and in peninsular Florida. Its range extends from southern Delaware to southern Texas. It also grows in the Bahamas [5,12,20]. It is cultivated in Hawaii [46].
States and Provinces
- United States: AL DE FL GA HI LA MD MS NC SC TX VA
Site Characteristics
Redbay soils are frequently Histosols consisting of a thick layer of peat [15,36], a sandy-humis, or an organic muck [36]. When layered over the Everglades' marl these soils may be basic [15], although throughout most of redbay's range these soils are acidic [36]. The soils are infertile [7] and provide poor mechanical support [5].
The climate throughout redbay's range is warm-temperate to subtropical. The frost-free period is usually greater than 250 days per year and normal temperatures range from 100 to 10 degrees F (38-minus 12 deg C). Mean annual rainfall is between 52 and 64 inches (1,020 and 1,630 mm) and is well distributed seasonally [5].
Plant Communities
Redbay in a coastal scrub community, northwest Florida.
Redbay is common in pocosins [10,30], forested wetlands [1], mixed hardwood swamps [38,40], and Mississippi pitcher-plant (Sarrecenia spp.) bogs [16]. In the drier Big Thicket area of eastern Texas, it sometimes grows on upland longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas [6,33] and poorly drained sites where mesic vegetation form localized patches in a more xeric landscape [41]. Redbay is a principal associate in the Okefenokee Swamp [8], a dominant in Cumberland Island understories [10], and common in the Great Dismal Swamp [44] and Big Cypress Swamp [11]. Red bay dominates many everglades tree islands [30,40] and cypress dome [40] understories. It is occasional in the understories of high hammocks [2] but a major component in low hammocks. When seen from the air, southern Florida low hammocks have a characteristic redbay-dominated tail which extends downstream in the direction of the everglade's flow [15]. Some southern Florida tree islands are so dominated by redbay, sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), and loblolly-bay (Gordonia lasianthus) that they are known as "bayheads" [23].
Overstory associates include red maple (Acer rubrum) [36], cabbage palmetto (Sabel palmetto) [39], spruce pine (Pinus glabra) [25], slash pine (P. elliottii) [17], loblolly pine (P. taeda) [3], sand pine (P. clausa) [4], southern redcedar (Juniperus silicicola), loblolly-bay, cassena (Ilex cassine), titi (Cyrilla racemiflora) [8], sweetbay, and Atlantic white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) [24].
Understory associates include hurrahbush (Lyonia lucida), swamp fetterbush (Leucothoe racemosa), sweetspire (Itea virginica), poor-man's soap (Clethra alnifolia), coral greenbriar (Smilax Walteri), and wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera) [8,23].
Wells [42] cited redbay as a dominant in his classification system of Coastal Plain community types.
Botanical Description
Redbay, Clinch Co., GA.
Redbay's growth habit varies over its range [5]. It usually grows as a medium-sized tree, commonly shrubby, up to 45 feet (15 m) tall [13,20]. Occasionally, old trees may reach a d.b.h. of 3 feet (1 m), with a large crown [20]. In southern Florida hammocks, redbay grows branched and crooked, seldom achieving tree form [15].
Redbay leaves are alternate, simple, evergreen, and aromatic [13]. Stomatal characteristics suggest adaptation for water conservation [14]. Redbay flowers are perfect, small, cymes [5,12]. Annually produced fruits are drupes which turn black or blue as they ripen [5].
Raunkiaer Life Form (Raunkiaer 1934)
- Phanerophyte
Seasonal Development
Redbay flowers between April and May [12], and its fruit ripens during August and September [38].
Regeneration Processes
The primary mode of regeneration for redbay is sexual. The flowers are insect- and wind-pollinated. Songbirds, wild turkeys, northern bobwhites, black bears, and white-tailed deer disperse seeds. Natural stands of redbay are patchy and diffuse due to overstory competition [5].
Successional Status
Redbay is a late-seral species. It is shade tolerant but also grows well in the open in both young and old stands [5]. Redbay is a climax associate in Daubenmire's [9] southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)-live oak (Quercus virginiana) type and dominates swamp forest [43] and cedar [34] understories in the absence of disturbance.
Immediate Fire Effects
Aromatic leaves and a dense, shrubby growth form [7] favor intense fires in redbay stands. Most fires probably kill or at least top-kill redbay, since it appears to survive only moderate-severity fires. Those individuals that survive fire may experience delayed mortality because of fire-related scarring and stem deterioration [5].
Postfire Regeneration Strategy (Stickney 1989)
- Tree without adventitious-bud root crown
Fire Adaptations
The postfire survival of redbay apparently depends on fire intensity. After moderate-severity fire which top-kills only small-diameter redbay, redbay stands persist through sprouting and the survival of large individuals [7]. Severe fire may eliminate all age classes.
Plant Response to Fire
No entry.
Fire Regimes
For fire regime information, search FEIS for this species by entering the species name or acronym on the home page and selecting “Fire Regime” as the publication type.
Fire Management Considerations
Redbay should be protected from fire [27] or subjected only to low-severity prescribed fires [13] where wildlife habitat maintenance is a goal. Atlantic white-cedar production may benefit from frequent fires which reduce redbay competition [9,34]. Consult Hough [21] to predict potential heat release when burning in redbay stands.
Federal Status
None
Other Status
No entry.
Importance to Wildlife and Livestock
Wild turkeys and many songbirds eat redbay fruit [5]. The northern bobwhite eats red bay seeds, especially during the winter [5,27]. White-tailed deer and black bears eat the foliage and fruit of redbay. Redbay can sustain browsing of up to 40 percent of its current annual growth [5]. In otherwise pure stands of even-age pine in southern Alabama, redbay-dominated "stringers" provide essential habitat for gray squirrels [18].
Palatability and Nutritional Value
Lay [28] listed nutrient percentage values of redbay browse collected in winter as follows:
| Protein | Fat | Fiber | N-free extract | Ash | Phosphoric acid | Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.98 | 3.25 | 29.5 | 43.1 | 2.17 | 0.14 | 0.31 |
These levels are low for protein, deficient for phosphoric acid, but high for calcium [28].
Cover Value
No entry.
Value for Rehabilitation or Restoration of Disturbed Sites
Redbay seedlings can be used in wetlands and phosphate mine reclamation [32].
Other Uses
Redbay leaves are a good substitute for those of tropical bay (Persea spp.), which are used as a food seasoning [5].
Redbay wood is heavy, hard, strong, and bright red with thin, light-colored sapwood. It is used locally for cabinetwork, interior finishing, and boat building [5].
Other Management Considerations
The wildlife habitat value of southern pine plantations can be increased by allowing redbay to grow along intermittent streams [18].
Redbay is very resistant to insects and fungal disease [30].
Table A1— Forest and range ecosystems, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) physiographic regions, Kuchler plant associations, Society for American Foresters (SAF) forest cover types, and Society for Rangeland Management (SRM) rangeland cover types in which this species occurs.
Forest and Range Ecosystems (Garrison et al. 1977)
- FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
- FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
- FRES14 Oak - pine
- FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress
- FRES41 Wet grasslands
BLM Physiographic Regions (Bernard and Brown 1977)
- No entry.
Kuchler Plant Associations (Kuchler 1964)
- K080 Marl - everglades
- K091 Cypress savanna
- K092 Everglades
- K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
- K112 Southern mixed forest
- K113 Southern floodplain forest
- K114 Pocosin
SAF Cover Types (Eyre 1980)
- 74 Cabbage palmetto
- 81 Loblolly pine
- 82 Loblolly pine - hardwood
- 97 Atlantic white-cedar
- 98 Pond pine
- 100 Pondcypress
- 101 Baldcypress
- 102 Baldcypress - tupelo
- 104 Sweetbay - swamp tupelo - redbay
SRM Rangeland Cover Types (Shiflet 1994)
- No entry.
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