Bayleef is a quadrupedal, pale-yellow reptilianPokémon that resembles a sauropoddinosaur. It has a long neck, red eyes, a short, rounded snout, and a stubby tail. Each foot has a single, light gray nail. Sprouting from its forehead is a green leaf that curves back over its head and around its neck are a series of tightly curled leaves. Inside the leaves are small tree shoots.
The aroma wafting from the leaves around its neck has a spicy scent and has various beneficial effects on those who inhale it. The fragrance has a combination of energizing, stimulating, and healing effects. Bayleef can be rarely found in grasslands. As mentioned in Pokémon Sleep, any Pokémon sleeping near Bayleaf will feel invigorated.[1]
The scent of spices comes from around its neck. Somehow, sniffing it makes you want to fight. (Pokémon Red, Silver, or Crystal inserted) A spicy aroma emanates from around its neck. The aroma acts as a stimulant to restore health. (Pokémon Blue, Gold, or Yellow inserted)
In Current Events, Ash's Chikorita evolved into a Bayleef while protecting Ash from Team Rocket. Bayleef still had the same personality she had when she was still a Chikorita, but she soon mellowed out.
Four Bayleef appeared in The Power of Us, with two under the ownership of two different Trainers (including an unnamed recurring woman), the third being wild, and the fourth appearing during a flashback.
Bayleef, the Leaf Pokémon. The evolved form of Chikorita. Bayleef emits a spicy aroma from the leaves around its neck and its Razor Leaf is extremely powerful.
Gold has a Bayleef that used to belong to Black, but was released by its former Trainer for being too weak. After joining Gold's team, it has been able to defeat strong opponents, such as Bugsy's Scyther.
Bayleef and its evolutionary relatives are the only evolutionary line of a first partner Pokémon to keep their Japanese voices in the English dub of the anime, due to having nearly identical names in English and Japanese.
Bayleef's "necklace" is consistently described as having a spicy aroma, while real bay leaves have a bitter and herbal taste, which is similar to thyme.
Origin
Hanamogura (ハナモグラ)
Bayleef appears to be based on sauropods, specifically the Apatosaurus. Its vegetable part may be based on the leaves of the bay laurel, whose oil is used for healing and as a stimulant in aromatherapy.
In the Pokémon Gold and Silver Spaceworld '97 demo, Bayleef was instead a different design named Hanamogura (ハナモグラ). It is seemingly based on moles, which use the kanji meaning "earth dragon" (土竜 mogura), thus being a mole that blossoms into a dragon. The antennae from this design persist in Meganium's final design.
Name origin
Bayleef and Bayleaf derive from bay leaf, a herb used in cooking known for its pungent smell.