The Lauraceae are the laurel family, that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. The family comprises over 3000 species of flowering plants in over 50 genera worldwide. They occur mainly in warm temperate and tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America. Many are aromatic evergreen trees or shrubs, but some, such as Sassafras, are deciduous, or include both deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, especially in tropical and temperate climates. Cassytha is a genus unique to the Lauraceae family in that it is a genus of parasitic vines.