Common Cherrylaurel

Prunus laurocerasus commonly called cherry laurel or English laurel is a broad, dense, spreading, evergreen that in cultivation typically matures over time to 10-18’ tall with a spread to 20-25’. Lustrous, oblong, dark green leaves (to 6” long). Foliage is evergreen with no fall color. Tiny, cup-shaped, creamy white flowers in upright clusters (racemes to 5” long) bloom from the leaf axils in April-May. Flowers have a powerful aroma. Flowers give way to somewhat inconspicuous black drupes that ripen in mid-summer. This fruit is basically inedible for humans (bitter aftertaste) but is loved by local bird populations.