0197 



CHERRY LAUREL. 



Family: ROSACEAE. 



Reproductive system: ICOSANDRY, MONOGYNY. 



Two or three leaves of the cherry laurel tree, Prunus laurocerasus, LINN., added 

 to milk give it a very pleasant almond flavor. But it's best not to leave them in too long 

 because that will make it unhealthful. The experiments of Duhamel and Mortimer 

 [Translator's note: possibly John Mortimer, 1656-1736, English horticulturist] on dogs 

 clearly demonstrated that the juice and the distilled liqueur of the cherry laurel are a 

 deadly poison for humans and animals. [Translator's note: two toxic glucosides, 

 prulaurasin and prunasin, have been isolated from the cherry laurel.] 



This tree grows fifteen or twenty feet high. It takes on a very beautiful shape and 

 tolerates pruning. The young branches are a yellowish color. They are upright and firm. 

 The large oval leaves are alternate, lanceolate, dentate, leathery, smooth and green above, 

 and yellowish-green underneath. They have two glands at the base of their inferior vein. 

 The white flowers, set in the axils of the leaves, form upright clusters. The calyx is a 

 single unit with five lobes at the top. Five rounded petals form the corolla. A large 

 number of stamens insert into the calyx. The ovary is free, crowned with a style and a 

 stigma. The fruit is a black berry when ripe. 



FLOWERS: April and May. 



RANGE: The vicinity of Trebizonde. It was brought to Europe in the sixteenth 

 century. Belon [Translator's note: Pierre Belon du Mons, 1517-1564, French naturalist] 

 claims to have seen one of the trees at that time in Prince Doria's garden in Genoa. 



USES. Its pleasant evergreen foliage enhances the beauty of our groves. Around 

 Paris it has to be covered in winter, but it's quite successful in the interior of France. I've 

 seen some very vigorous trees in Normandy and in Brittany. 



