{| border="1" cellspacing="0" align="right" cellpadding="2" ! align="center" bgcolor=lightgreen | Bay Laurel |- || |- ! align="center" bgcolor=lightgreen | Scientific classification |- | {| align="center" | align=left | Kingdom: || Plantae |- || Division: || Magnoliophyta |- || Class: || Magnoliopsida |- || Order: || Laurales |- || Family: || Lauraceae |- || Genus: || Laurus |- || Species: || nobilis |} |- ! align="center" bgcolor="lightgreen" | Binomial nomenclature |- | align="center" | Laurus nobilis L. |- |} The Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae), also known as True Laurel, Sweet Bay, Grecian Laurel, or just Laurel is the usual (but not only) source of the spice Bay Leaves. it was also the source of the Laurel wreath of ancient Greece, and therefore the expression of "resting on one's laurels." A wreath of bay laurels was given as the prize at the Pythian Games. It is also the source of the word baccalaureate (laurel berry) and of poet laureate.