Pimenta acemosa subsp. racemosa (Pimenta racemosa var. citrfolia)

Lemon Bay Rum Tree, Lemon Allspice

A relative of allspice, this Caribbean tree (Pimenta racemosa var. citrifolia) has lemon-scented leaves used for tea and cooking. A subspecies of the Bay Rum tree, popular because the oil was distilled using rum and water to make bay rum cologne. This sub-species has small white flowers and small black oval fruit; the fruit is not edible and bay rum/essential oil are toxic if swallowed. The "Lemon Scent" or Citrus Bay is rare, not always true from seed (mine came out all true), and is hard to root from cuttings. It’s more cold-tolerant and resists leaf fungus better than regular bay rum. A relatively small tree to about 20 feet with a strong apical dominance.