The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Laurus \Lau"rus\, n. [L., laurel.] (Bot.)
   A genus of trees including, according to modern authors, only
   the true laurel (Laurus nobilis), and the larger Laurus
   Canariensis of Madeira and the Canary Islands. Formerly the
   sassafras, the camphor tree, the cinnamon tree, and several
   other aromatic trees and shrubs, were also referred to the
   genus Laurus.
   [1913 Webster]