So I will stick to my guess of this being one of the Lauraceae, readily
admitting this is far from sure.

Nah. It is a lighting fixture from the Elbonian subway.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)