Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus): how to identify it

Cherry laurel is toxic: what the sources say

NC State Extension states that the plant has high-severity poison characteristics, lists the leaves, seeds and stems as toxic parts, and names the toxic principles as cyanogenic glycosides (amygdalin, prunasin and prulaurasin). It describes the stems, leaves and seeds as containing cyanide, especially toxic as the plant wilts, and lists cats, dogs and horses among the animals at risk. BSBI adds that glycoside levels are higher in young plants and in summer, and that once cut or crushed, the material releases hydrocyanic acid that can starve animal tissues of oxygen.

Chokecherry is another Prunus whose leaves and seeds are cyanogenic.

That matters when you clear or chip a laurel hedge, and when children or pets are near the black fruit. This page gives no advice on eating or handling any part. If someone may have eaten leaves, seeds or fruit, call NHS 111 (or your local poison control service) or a vet, and take a sprig with you. Tree Identifier's Toxicology notes are AI-written and are not a safety verdict.

Cherry laurel in Britain: hedges, woods and spread

BSBI describes cherry laurel as an evergreen, densely branched shrub or small tree up to about 10 m, introduced around the mid-17th century and afterwards commonly planted on estates and in large gardens. From there it has spread. BSBI's Fermanagh account says it can form dense thickets and has the potential to become as invasive and dominant over native species as Rhododendron ponticum, and that it spreads mainly by layering, with branches rooting where they touch the ground; bird-sown seedlings add to that. NatureSpot calls it widespread as a planted shrub and an occasional escape that may be increasing as an established wild plant, found in woodland and hedgerows.

So a cherry laurel in a wood is not necessarily planted: it may be a layered offshoot of an old estate planting or a bird-sown seedling.

In North America, NC State reports that cherry laurel has escaped cultivation on the Pacific coast west of the Cascades, where it is classed as a weed of concern, and records it in California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

Cherry laurel, Portugal laurel, bay and Carolina cherry laurel

Portugal laurel. The NC State profile of Portugal laurel describes glossy, dark green, toothed leaves 2 1/2 to 6 inches long and white, fragrant flowers in narrow racemes 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) long, native to the mountain forests of the Iberian Peninsula. The long flower spikes are the clearest difference; NatureSpot lists it as the main similar species.

Bay laurel. True laurel, Laurus nobilis, belongs to a different family. NC State's bay laurel profile describes smaller, leathery, blue-green to silvery grey-green leaves with smooth edges, used in cooking; male and female flowers on separate plants from March to May; and small black or purple fruit on female plants. A bay leaf has no glands beneath.

Carolina cherry laurel. In the southeastern US, "cherry laurel" usually means this native tree. The NC State profile describes leaves 2 to 3 inches long, smooth-edged on adults but spiny-toothed on seedlings, with a pair of small glands beneath near the base and a maraschino cherry scent when crushed; short flower spikes about 1 inch long in March and April; and lustrous black fruit in September and October. It grows to 35 ft and is rated a high-severity poison too. Its green fruit is covered in the tree with green balls guide.

Holly and rhododendron. NatureSpot also lists rhododendrons among the large-leaved evergreens to rule out, and English holly is the other glossy evergreen of British hedges; the holly page shows its spiny leaves and winter berries.

In a clipped hedge, in flower and in fruit

A hedge clipped every year may never flower, so learn the leaf: large, glossy, leathery, alternate, with glands near the base underneath. In April and May an unclipped laurel is covered in upright white candles of flowers, and from summer the fruit ripens from red to black. For the other trees and shrubs with dark fruit, see the tree with black berries guide; for its deciduous relatives, the true cherries, see the cherry page.

If you are mapping laurel spreading into a local wood, Tree Identifier's Tree Map saves each located identification, and the History tab keeps the photos, which makes it easier to show a site manager where the thickets are.