Prunus lusitanica
Common name:
Portuguese Cherry Laurel .
Portuguese Laurel
Pronunciation:
PROO-nus lu-si-TAN-i-ka
Family:
Rosaceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Evergreen broadleaf shrub, 10-20 ft (3-6 m), or 50 ft (15 m) tree, dense branching, young branches reddish. Leaves alternate, simple, 12 cm long × 5 cm wide, glossy dark green, toothed, margin often undulating; petiole 1.5-2.5 cm long, frequently reddish. Flowers white, fragrant 8-12 mm diam., in showy 15-25 cm clusters (racemes). Ripe fruit dark purple-black, 8 mm long, ovoid.
- Sun to part shade. Accepts heat, sun and wind better than P. laurocerasus, needs little water once established Makes a dense hedge.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 6 (Hardier than P. laurocerasus). Native of Spain and Portugal
- Toxicity: Prunus lusitanica 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.
- lusitanica: of Portugal (Lusitania was an ancient Iberian Roman province which included the area of modern Portugal and a portion of western Spain.) However, P. laurocerasus is now classified as endangered species in Portugal.
- Corvallis: grown as "street trees" on east side of 29th St. north of Harrison Ave.
- Oregon State Univ. campus: on the north side of Jefferson Ave. east of 15th St., near the east entrance to the parking lot
Click image to enlarge
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plant habit
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plant habit, hedge
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plant habit, sheared
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street trees, Corvallis, Oregon
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leaves
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shoot, comparison
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leaves, comparison
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plant habit, flowering
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flower clusters and leaves
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maturing fruit and leaves
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ripe fruit
