Litsea is a genus of evergreen or deciduous trees or shrubs belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes a large number of accepted species in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, Australasia, the western Pacific, and North and Central America.
Characteristics
They are typically dioecious trees or shrubs. The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen depending on species, and aromatic. They have leaves alternate or opposite or in whorls. 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.
Selected species
Litsea auriculata Litsea australis Litsea bindoniana Litsea calicaris Litsea claviflora Litsea cubeba Litsea curtisii Litsea dilleniifolia Litsea garciae Litsea gardneri Litsea glaberrima Litsea glaucescens Litsea glutinosa Litsea granitica Litsea hirsutissima Litsea imbricata Litsea iteodaphne Litsea kakkachensis Litsea leefeana Litsea leiantha Litsea leytensis Litsea ligustrina Litsea monopetala Litsea nemoralis Litsea nigrescens Litsea ovalifolia Litsea penangiana Litsea reticulata Litsea travancorica Litsea umbellata Litsea wightiana
References