Article Nº 2229 Fungus, lichen, moss or alga Vol. II · p. 620
Madre de Louro
A plant gall on old laurel trunks caused by the fungus Exobasidium lauri, used in Madeiran folk medicine with brandy as a haemostatic.
A plant gall that frequently appears on the trunks of old laurel trees. It can reach 20 centimetres in length and is produced by Exobasidium Lauri, a fungus of the family Thelephoraceae. Combined with spirit (aguardente, distilled from sugar cane or wine), it is a haemostatic much used in Madeira, and it is also employed as an emmenagogue.