Swamp Bay, Swamp Red Bay

I germinated several seeds from MD source, and most have grown quite nicely in my coastal CT z7a yard. They have the characteristic "bay...Read More-like" scent, and remain evergreen (though leaves exposed to the sun/wind turn bronze). My biggest specimen is 8 feet tall and growing in sandy soil. From what I understand this is a very similar species to P. borbonia, I'm not sure what the difference is. Regardless, my plants do very well in my yard (my winter temps go down to 0F). The only setback they've had so far has been deer browse.

This plant is a bit more cold hardy than what is stated on this page. It grows naturally in zone 7 here in coastal Maryland, and has nev...Read Moreer shown any cold damage here even with temperatures near 0F. Swamp bay makes a great evergreen tree and can handle wet conditions since it primarily comes from swamps. It has a similar look to the very common Southern Magnolia (magnolia grandiflora) but has smaller leaves and lacks the large fragrant flowers. The form however is slightly different and has less of a barrel shape. Swamp bay often has an interesting crooked trunk somewhat like a mountain laurel (kalmia latifolia) in the wild. It can also handle both sun and shade, and is easy to transplant.

Swamp Bay is very closely related to the Red Bay (Persea borbonia) and is nearly identical in appearance. In fact, there is still a lot of dispute over whether or not they are the same species. In addition to this, some refer to the Sweetbay Magnolia (magnolia virginiana) as the Swamp Bay. It also looks similar but has very white undersides on the leaves and large fragrant flowers. Because of these things, there is obviously a lot of confusion about this plant. This is probably why so little information can be found about Swamp bay on the internet.

I recommend Swamp bay for those looking for a tropical appearance and a nice tall broad leaf evergreen that can handle full sun, which can be difficult to find for this area, outside of hollies and S.Magnolias. The laurel wilt problem killing off Swamp Bays and Red Bays in the Southeast has not yet reached this area, which is good news for now.

This is a beautiful tree, but it is severely threatened by Laurel Wilt. This is caused by a fungus being spread quickly by the non-nativ...Read Moree Ambrosia bettle.

Swamp Bay is a medium to large tree or sometimes a shrub (usually 30 to 40 feet high; sometimes more). It is native to bottomlands, hardw...Read Moreood swamps, cypress swamps, riversides and lowlands and moist sites in the southeastern United States in the coastal plain and Piedmont from Delaware and Maryland south along the coastal plain throughout much of Florida (including the Keys), west along the Gulf coastal plain and lowlands into Texas (zones 5b or 6a through 11). The leaves may be similar to Red Bay (Persea borbonia), but are usually slightly more rounded. The leaves have the distinctive spicy scent of Bay when crushed. A better way to distinguish between the two species is that while Red Bay is found in the same habitats as Swamp Bay PLUS drier sites, Swamp Bay is only found usually in the swampy or moist sites.

Like Red Bay, Swamp Bay is very useful for wildlife.