Cherry laurel : an evergreen medicinal herb
The cherry laurel's leaves look like a laurel tree. Yet, it is actually a type of cherry. Its appearance makes it a popular choice for decoration. People often grow it for this reason.
Botanically, it's known as medicinal cherry laurel. It is part of the cherry group. This group is within the plum family, which is part of the rose family. Despite losing leaves sometimes and growing in mild areas, the cherry laurel stays green all year. It usually looks like a bush.
Sometimes, it grows into a small tree. It typically reaches 2-6 meters tall. Some can reach 10 meters. Its crown has a narrow pyramid shape. In cold winters, it usually stays below two meters.
It is hard to tell apart from real bay leaf plants. The leaves look very similar. Cherry laurel leaves are green, smooth, and have feather-like veins.
These leaves can grow up to 20 cm long and 6 cm wide. They stay on the plant for about two years. The plant gradually gets new green leaves. The cherry laurel can handle cold weather well for an evergreen. It can survive -20°C without protection. If covered, it can endure -30°C.
It blooms in May. The tree has clusters of flowers up to 13 cm long. Each cluster is full of small flowers. The fruits resemble cherries in shape and size. They are almost black and taste sweeter.
You can harvest the fruits in late summer. Bushes at least 4-5 years old can yield up to a hundredweight. But, the leaves and seeds are poisonous.