- Laurus azorica (Seub.) Franco, Known as Azores Laurel, or by the Portuguese names Louro, Loureiro, Louro-da-terra, and Louro-de-cheiro, is native to the laurisilva forests of the Azores, and also locally introduced in Cortegada Island, Spain.
- Laurus nobilis L., known commonly as Bay Laurel, True Laurel, Sweet Bay, Grecian Laurel, or simply Laurel, is the source of the spice Bay leaf. It was also the source of the Laurel wreath of ancient Greece. It is distributed across the Mediterranean region from Spain to Turkey.
- Laurus novocanariensis Rivas Mart., Lousã, Fern. Prieto, E. Díaz, J.C. Costa & C. Aguiar, syn. L. canariensis Webb & Berth. (an illegitime name). Formerly included in L.azorica, and also known as the same Portuguese names as L. azorica, is native to the laurisilva forests of Madeira Islands and Canary Islands, and also locally in Morocco.
Fossils dating from before the Pleistocene glaciations show that species of Laurus were formerly distributed more widely around the Mediterranean and North Africa, when the climate was more humid and mild than at present. It is currently thought that the drying of the Mediterranean basin during the glaciations caused Laurus to retreat to the mildest climate refuges, including southern Spain, Portugal and the Macaronesian islands. With the end of the last glacial period, L. nobilis recovered some of its former range around the Mediterranean.
A recent study found that native stands classified as L. nobilis in northern Spain shared greater genetic and morphological similarity to L. azorica than to populations of L. nobilis native to rest of Spain, France and Italy . These populations like the Cortegada Island population, in Galicia, famous for its large grove of laurels, come from seeds dispersed by birds but is not indigenous to the island, as this islander forest originated spontaneously from laurel specimens that were planted after the original vegetation was destroyed.