ID help

[bonsaikidnz]

Evening all,

Hoping to get some help as I'm not to sharp with tree species. Got the below tree in the backyard the old lady said was fairly common. Any ideas?

Cheers,

[shibui]

So common that it looks like a lot of other plants. My initial impression is maybe camphor laurel which is a weedy pest in many places. Try crushing some leaves and sniff.

[DangerousDave]

Definitely looks like camphor laurel. Shibui is right - crushed leaves will answer that one easily..

[bonsaikidnz]

Thanks Shibui/Dave looks exactly like the one. Thought I'd better check as I got told to get rid of a couple. Dont know of any bonsai potential for them?

[shibui]

I'm not sure about bonsai potential. They don't grow down this way.
Not surprised you have been asked to get rid of some. I believe it is a declared weed in some areas.
Just a gentle warning to take some precautions when cutting and handling. Camphor laurel is noted as mildly toxic to humans. The timber is used by some wood workers but sawdust, etc can be a problem for some people.

[bonsaikidnz]

Oh heck I didn't notice how badly they're a weed in QLD. Declared a toxic weed or something of the sort?
After confirming camphor through your reply. I checked on here and there seems to be a few people back in 09, 11, 13 and earlier who've had some varied success.
Old camphor pics show some beautiful qualities especially in regards to the nebari.

Hmmm they've got to come up and given the time on my hands, some other post on here to give a bit of guidance I may as well dig them and pot them.