Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Rosales > Rosaceae > Prunus > Prunus caroliniana

Prunus caroliniana (Carolina Cherry Laurel)

Synonyms:

Wikipedia Abstract

Prunus caroliniana, known as the Carolina laurelcherry, Carolina cherry laurel, cherry laurel, or Carolina cherry, is a small evergreen flowering tree native to the lowlands of Southeastern United States, from North Carolina south to Florida and westward to central Texas. The species has also escaped into the wild in a few places in California. Prunus caroliniana is not to be confused with its European relative Prunus laurocerasus, which is also called Cherry Laurel, though mainly known as English Laurel in the U.S.
View Wikipedia Record: Prunus caroliniana

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]  The leaves and young branches of this species contain considerable quantities of hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin 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
Lifespan [3]  Perennial
Pollinators [2]  Insects, Lepidoptera
Structure [2]  Shrub
Usage [2]  Amenable to trimming, this plant can be grown as a screen and hedge; It can also be used in shelterbelt plantings; A green dye can be obtained from the leaves; A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit; Wood - hard, heavy, strong, close grained; The trees are seldom large enough for the wood to be exploited commercially;
Height [2]  39 feet (12 m)
View Plants For A Future Record : Prunus caroliniana

Protected Areas

Predators

Artace cribrarius[4]
Chionaspis furfura (Harris's bark-louse)[5]
Diaspidiotus osborni (Osborn scale)[5]
Episimus tyrius (Maple Leaftier Moth)[4]
Neopinnaspis harperi (Harper scale)[5]

Range Map

External References

USDA Plant Profile

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
♦ 3USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture
♦ 4HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants Gaden S. Robinson, Phillip R. Ackery, Ian J. Kitching, George W. Beccaloni AND Luis M. Hernández
♦ 5Ben-Dov, Y., Miller, D.R. & Gibson, G.A.P. ScaleNet 4 November 2009
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
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