Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Rosales > Rosaceae > Prunus > Prunus lyonii

Prunus lyonii (Hollyleaf cherry)

Synonyms: Cerasus lyonii; Laurocerasus lyonii; Prunus ilicifolia lyonii

Attributes

Allergen Potential [1]  Medium-High
Edible [2]  May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details.
Flower Type [2]  Hermaphrodite
Hazards [2]  Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where most, if not all members of the genus produce hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin is found mainly in the leaves and seed and is readily detected by its bitter taste. It is usually present in too small a quantity to do any harm but any very bitter seed or fruit should not be eaten. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Leaf Type [2]  Evergreen
Pollinators [2]  Insects, Lepidoptera
Structure [2]  Tree
Usage [2]  A green dye can be obtained from the leaves; A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit; Wood - heavy, hard, very close-grained;
Height [2]  33 feet (10 m)
View Plants For A Future Record : Prunus lyonii

Predators

Neopinnaspis harperi (Harper scale)[3]

Range Map

External References

NatureServe Explorer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
1Derived from Allergy-Free Gardening OPALS™, Thomas Leo Ogren (2000)
2Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
3Ben-Dov, Y., Miller, D.R. & Gibson, G.A.P. ScaleNet 4 November 2009
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0