Eight taxa of Lauraceae representing four genera were subjected to the present study. The
micro-morphological and chemical investigation were carried out according to traditional
methods. The objective of the present study is to find criteria to facilitate the delimitation and
identification of the taxa under investigation. The obtained leaf micro-characters were
considered diagnostic at the generic and specific level. The extracted chemical compounds
from the taxa under investigation ranged from 41-61. Most of tested oils showed antibacterial
activity toward six bacteria strains. The most potent antibacterial oils were from
Cinnamomum glanduliferum and C. verum. The antibacterial activity was due to oxygenated
and non-oxygenated monoterpenes (α-pinene, β-pineneandcineole). The antibacterial activity
of Apollonias barbujana is due to (α-phellandrene rather than cineole). The obtained data
from an anatomical and chemical point of view can be considered diagnostic at the
infraspecific level, but only to a certain extent.