Prunus laurocerasus
Common name: 
Cherry Laurel
English Laurel
Pronunciation: 
PROO-nus lar-o-ser-A-sus
Family: 
Rosaceae
Genus: 
Prunus
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Broadleaf evergreen shrub/tree, 10-20 ft (3-6 m), wide spreading, dense, coarse-texture, vigorous.  Leaves alternate, simple, 5-15 cm long, about 1/2 as wide, oblong or obovate-oblong, obscurely serrate to nearly entire, lustrous medium to dark green, two glands on base of blade near point of attachment with petiole.  Buds light green.  Flowers white, fragrant, 6mm wide, in 5-10 cm long, but narrow, clusters (racemes); blooms in spring.  Fruit purple to black, 1.3 cm, in summer.
  • Sun or shade.  Best in moist, well-drained, acidic soil, supplemented with organic matter.  Tolerant of salt spray and shade (grows in conditions with little direct light).  Often pruned to a hedge, for which some say it is "least suited" (Grant and Grant, 1990).
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 6      Native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor.
  • There are many cultivar available:
    • 'Compacta'  - supposedly a form that is more compact than the species type, listed as growing 4-8 ft (1.2-2.4 m) high with an equal spread.
    • 'Marbled Dragon'  - slow growing, leaves marbled gray or white, variable and unstable.
    • 'Mt. Vernon'  - slow growing, compact dwarf to 3 ft (90 cm), wide spreading, dense, leaves similar to species.
    • 'Nana'  - slow growing to 4-6 ft (1.2-1.6 m) tall and wide, speading, glossy dark green leaves similar to species.  Hardy to USDA Zone 7.
    • 'Otto Luyken'  - poplular form, compact, speading to 6-10 ft (1.8-3 m) wide and 5 ft (1.5 m) tall, erect stems, narrow, glossy dark green leaves, abundant flowers.  Hardy to USDA Zone 6.
    • 'Schipkaensis'  - several forms under this name (see Dirr, 1998).  Moderate growing, to 4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m) tall and 6-8 ft (1.8-2.4 m) wide.  Hardy to USDA Zone 6.
    • 'Zabeliana'  - fast growing, shoots almost horizontal, long narrow leaves, profusely flowering.  Hardy to USDA Zone 6.
  • Toxicity: Prunus laurocerasus contains cyanogenic glycosides, as do many plants in the Prunus genus, such as cherries, peaches, and almonds. These compounds are mostly sequestered in stems, leaves and seeds, and when damaged, say by wilting, chewing or ingesting, hydrogen cyanide, a potent poison, is released. The risk of cyanide poisoning in humans and cat and dogs is small when plant parts are ingested, ruminants are much more efficient at breaking down plant material and numerous cases of cyanide poisoning are reported.
  • laurocerasus: refers to common name, cerasus: cherry; lauro: laurel
  • Oregon State Unv. campus: northeast of the Women's Building.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit, hedge

    plant habit, hedge

  • hedge that turned into a tall screen

    hedge that turned into a tall screen

  • plant habit, sheared

    plant habit, sheared

  • shoot

    shoot

  • leaves

    leaves

  • shoot, comparison

    shoot, comparison

  • leaves, comparison

    leaves, comparison

  • flower cluster and flowers

    flower cluster and flowers

  • leaves and fruit

    leaves and fruit

  • bud and leaves

    bud and leaves