{"slug":"prunus-laurocerasus","scientific_name":"Prunus laurocerasus","common_names":["Cherry laurel","Common laurel","English laurel"],"family":"Rosaceae","type":"broadleaf_evergreen","mature_height_m":6,"mature_spread_m":5,"growth_rate":"fast","lifespan_years":null,"hardiness_zones":[6,8],"sun":"full_partial","water":"medium","soil":"Most soils including dry, poor and alkaline ground; needs good drainage","native_range":"Native to south-eastern Europe and south-west Asia: the Balkans, Bulgaria, Romania, Türkiye, the Black Sea coast, the Caucasus and northern Iran.","description":"A dense evergreen shrub or small tree, usually 3 to 6 m, with large glossy leaves, white flower spikes and black cherries that birds carry into woodland. It is the most common hedging plant sold in Britain and Ireland, but it escapes into woods where its shade stops native trees regenerating. All parts contain cyanogenic compounds; wilting clippings are especially toxic to livestock and pets.","care":"If you must plant it, keep it as a clipped hedge and trim with secateurs in late spring to avoid cut leaves browning; remove berries before birds spread them. Established escapes need cutting and stump treatment because it resprouts and layers. Shot-hole, powdery mildew and root rot are the main problems. Consider native holly, yew or hornbeam instead.","benefits":["birds","pollinators"],"uses":["hedgerow","screening"],"cautions":["toxic_parts","invasive_elsewhere"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Karayemi%C5%9F-8.jpg","image_credit":"Wikimedia Commons, file Karayemiş-8.jpg (see file page for author and licence)","sources":["https://iwt.ie/cherry-laurel-risk-assessment/","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/prunus-laurocerasus/","https://www.gbif.org/species/3021496"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/prunus-laurocerasus","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/prunus-laurocerasus.md","regions":[{"country":"BG","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3021496"},{"country":"GE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Caucasus","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3021496"},{"country":"IR","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3021496"},{"country":"TR","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3021496"},{"country":"GB","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced and widely naturalised in woodland; no statutory listing found","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3021496"},{"country":"NZ","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced and naturalised per WCVP","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3021496"},{"country":"IE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"invasive","note":"National Biodiversity Data Centre risk assessment for NPWS (2025): overall risk High, high confidence; recorded in 63% of Irish 10 km squares; NPWS calls it an established highly invasive species but sale is still legal and it is not yet on the list of species of national concern","source_url":"https://iwt.ie/cherry-laurel-risk-assessment/"},{"country":"US","region":"WA","locality":null,"status":"invasive","note":"Escaped cultivation west of the Cascades; classed as a weed of concern","source_url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/prunus-laurocerasus/"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}