The West Indian Bay Tree, Pimenta racemosa, is a sturdyevergreen shrub or tree of the Myrtle family. Leaves of Myrtles are typically a shiny blue green and strongly scented when crushed; the flowers, bark and berries are also fragrant, and myrtle has been used in perfumery. The ancient Greeks considered myrtle sacred to the goddess Aphrodite and used it in festivals. Throughout history whole or ground bay leaf has been used to season meats, potatoes, stews, sauces, fish, pickles and vinegars. More recently it is also used to aromatize Bay Rum and other toiletries.

Just left to grow, the Bay tree can reach 80 feet in height, but when used for oil production the trees are kept about 12 feet tall for easier harvesting.

St. John is reputed to have the finest Bay Rum trees in the world. The first long term settlers there were so impressed by the magnificence of the bay rum trees they encountered while exploring the north shore that they named two beautiful valleys after the tree, Cinnamon Bay and Caneel Bay.  However, these trees had little economic importance during the years of sugar production and many were cut down to make way for planting more lucrative crops such as sugarcane and cotton.

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