The order includes about 2500–2800 species from 85 to 90 genera, which comprise seven families of trees and shrubs.

The best known species in this order are those of the Lauraceae (for example bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, and Sassafras), and the ornamental shrub Calycanthus of the Calycanthaceae.

Presently no single morphological property is known, which would unify all the members of Laurales.

During some or all of the 20th century, the Laurales generally included Amborella and the plants now classified in Austrobaileyales and Chloranthaceae.

[3] The following families are included in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system (APG III):[2] Canellales Piperales Calycanthaceae Siparunaceae Atherospermataceae Gomortegaceae Hernandiaceae Monimiaceae Lauraceae Magnoliales Under the older Cronquist system, the Laurales included a slightly different set of families (current placement, where different, in brackets): The extinct family Araripiaceae (containing only the genus Araripia) is known from the Aptian of Brazil.