Prunus lusitanica, the Portuguese laurel cherry[4] or Portugal laurel,[5] is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to southwestern France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and Macaronesia (the Azores, Canary Islands and Madeira).[6][7]
The split between the two subspecies (subsp. azorica, found in the Azores, and subsp. hixa / subsp. lusitanica, found elsewhere) is dated around the Pliocene.[8]
Description
Prunus lusitanica is an evergreenshrub or small tree growing to 3-8m tall (though it can reach 15-20m in cultivation).[9][10][11][12] The bark is smooth and dark-grey.[9] The leaves are alternate, oval, 7–15 cm long and 3–5 cm broad,[9] with an acute apex and a dentate margin, glossy dark green above, lighter below.[11] They superficially resemble those of the bay laurel, which accounts for its often being mistaken for one.
The flowers are small (10–15 mm diameter) with five small white petals; they are produced on erect or spreading racemes 15–25 cm long in late spring. The fruit is a small cherry-like drupe 8–13 mm in diameter, green or reddish green at first, turning dark purple or black when ripe in late summer or early autumn.[9][13]
Distribution and habitat
FlowersRipe fruit
Prunus lusitanica is rare in the wild, found mainly along mountain streams, preferring sunshine and moist but well-drained soils. It is moderately drought-tolerant. It reproduces either sexually (the most successful method) or asexually by cloning from shoots.[14]
Name
The species was first scientifically described by Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753. Its specific epithetlusitanica means "of Lusitania", referring to the Roman name for Portugal.[15]
Prunus lusitanica is grown as an ornamental shrub and is widely planted as a hedge and for screening in gardens and parks. It is introduced and locally naturalised in the temperate zone in northern France, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Western Canada- including the southern BC Mainland and Vancouver Island From Victoria Up Island through the Cowichan, Nanaimo and Parksville as well as the western United States in California, Oregon and Washington State.[citation needed]
Similar to its relative Prunus laurocerasus, P. lusitanica has been recognized by some botanists and land managers in both western Washington and Oregon as invasive. It is thought to have spread from cultivated areas into natural areas by birds who consume the fruit and then defecate the seeds away from the source plant.[citation needed]
The leaves of Prunus lusitanica contain cyanide and will release this into the environment if burnt[18] or if crushed.[19] The fruit is somewhat edible if fully ripe, but if it is bitter, it is toxic and should not be eaten.[20]
^Hay, R. (Ed) 1978. Reader's Digest Encyclopedia of Garden Plants and Flowers. Reader's Digest Association Limited, London.
^Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN0-00-220013-9.
^Alarcon, J. A. C. (2001). Geobotany and Conservation Biology Study on Prunus lusitanica L. Iberian populations. Departamento de Biologia. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. Available onlineArchived 2006-04-14 at the Wayback Machine (pdf file).
^Note: common names for Prunus lusitanica azorica include Ginja, Gingeira-brava and Ginjeira-do-Mato. "Prunus lusitanica azorica". University of the Azores. January 15, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2009.
