BAY TREE (אֶזְרָח, H275, native-born). It is mentioned once, in Psalm 37:35 (KJV), “spreading himself like a green bay tree.” This bay tree is undoubtedly Laurus nobilis, sometimes called the “bay laurel” or “sweet-bay”—a dark evergreen tree, which in Europe grows to a height of thirty ft., but in Pal. may reach to sixty ft. It is not a spreading tree, and therefore the word “spreading” prob. means “towering.” The small flowers are greenish-white, and the small berries are black. The fragrant leaves are dark green and glossy, and often are used in cooking with fish, like mackerel.

The Greeks used the branches as crowns for their heroes.