Laurelia is a small genus of evergreen trees in the family Atherospermataceae, order Laurales, with only two living species. Both are endemic to the southern hemisphere and represent a classic example of Gondwanan disjunct distribution: Laurelia novae-zelandiae (pukatea) is native to New Zealand, while Laurelia sempervirens (Chilean laurel or hualhual) is native to Chile. The family Atherospermataceae was formerly included within Monimiaceae, and Laurelia shares with that broader group a placement among the basal angiosperms of the order Laurales.
Laurelia novae-zelandiae is a substantial forest tree reaching up to 35 metres in height, with trunks up to 2 metres in diameter notable for their prominent plank-buttresses at the base. The square (tetragonous) branchlets, pale bark, and paired dark glossy leaves with coarsely serrate margins are characteristic. Small greenish-white flowers give way to fusiform achenes tipped with long, silky, hair-covered styles that facilitate wind dispersal. The species occupies lowland semi-swamp and gully forest from Northland south to Marlborough and Westland, and is assessed as Not Threatened under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.
The genus name derives from the Latin laurea (laurel), reflecting a resemblance to true laurels (family Lauraceae), with which Laurelia shares aromatic foliage and a similar order-level placement in Laurales. A fossil species, †Laurelia otagoensis, is known from Miocene deposits in New Zealand, extending the genus's history in the southern hemisphere.
Etymology
The genus name Laurelia derives from the Latin laurea, meaning laurel, reflecting a superficial resemblance to true laurels (family Lauraceae). Laurelia belongs to the same order, Laurales, as the true laurels, though it is placed in the distinct family Atherospermataceae.
Distribution
Laurelia comprises two extant species with a classic Gondwanan disjunct distribution: Laurelia novae-zelandiae (pukatea) is native to the North and South Islands of New Zealand, from Northland south to Marlborough and Westland; Laurelia sempervirens is native to Chile. This trans-Pacific southern hemisphere separation is interpreted as a remnant of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana.
Ecology
Laurelia novae-zelandiae grows in lowland semi-swamp and gully forest and has a facultative wetland indicator status (FAC), meaning it occurs in both wetland and non-wetland contexts. Flowering occurs from October to December and fruiting from October to January. Achenes bear long, silky, hair-covered styles and are dispersed by wind.
