The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Carolina cherry laurel or laurel cherry, Carolina laurelcherry, laurier amande

Catalina cherry, evergreen cherry, holly leaf cherry, islay

Habit Shrubs or trees, not suckering, 40–120 dm, not thorny. Shrubs or trees, sometimes suckering, 10–150 dm, not thorny.
Twigs

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

with terminal end buds, glabrous.

Leaves

persistent;

petiole 5–8 mm, glabrous, eglandular;

blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic or oblanceolate, 5–10 × 1.5–4 cm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins entire or spinose-serrate, sometimes undulate, teeth sharp, eglandular, apex usually acute to short-acuminate, sometimes obtuse-apiculate, apicula acute, surfaces glabrous, abaxial glandular, glands 2, proximal, flat, circular to oval.

persistent;

petiole 3–25 mm, glabrous, eglandular;

blade oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate or ovate to suborbiculate, 1.6–12 × 1.2–5(–7) cm, base usually broadly rounded to subcordate, sometimes obtuse, margins spinose-dentate to spinose-serrulate or entire, sometimes undulate, teeth sharp, callus-tipped, sometimes glandular at leaf base, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces glabrous, abaxial eglandular, if glands present, restricted to margins.

Inflorescences

12–30-flowered, racemes;

central axes 13–30(–43) mm, leafless at bases.

15–40-flowered, racemes;

central axes 30–80 mm, leafless at bases.

Pedicels

1–4 mm, glabrous.

1–5 mm, glabrous.

Flowers

usually bisexual, proximal sometimes staminate, blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium cupulate, 2.5–3 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals spreading, semicircular, 0.5–1 mm, margins usually entire, sometimes glandular-toothed, surfaces glabrous;

petals white, suborbiculate to elliptic, 1–1.5 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

blooming before leaf emergence;

hypanthium cupulate, 2–3 mm, glabrous externally;

sepals erect to spreading, triangular, 0.7–1.2 mm, margins entire, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely with scattered hairs;

petals white to yellowish, elliptic, obovate, or suborbiculate, 1–3 mm;

ovaries glabrous.

Drupes

black, ovoid, 9–12 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps leathery;

stones ovoid, not flattened, usually splitting open.

dark red to purple or blue-black, obovoid or ellipsoid to globose, 12–25 mm, glabrous;

mesocarps leathery;

stones subglobose to ellipsoid, ± flattened.

2n

= 32.

Prunus caroliniana

Prunus ilicifolia

Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr; fruiting May–Nov.
Habitat Stream bottoms, thickets, wooded uplands, maritime forests, naturalizing in urban woodlands
Elevation 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Prunus caroliniana is a popular ornamental for screens and trimmed hedges and is widely planted in the southeastern United States because of its lustrous, dark green foliage persistent through the seasons. The species was probably common as a native plant on the southeastern barrier islands; most inland occurrences represent escapes from cultivation. It rarely escapes from cultivation in California.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaf blades ovate to suborbiculate, margins spinose-dentate to spinose-serrulate; petioles 3–10 mm.
var. ilicifolia
1. Leaf blades oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, margins usually entire, sometimes remotely spinose-serrulate; petioles 8–25 mm.
var. occidentalis
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 361. FNA vol. 9, p. 362.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Amygdaleae > Prunus
Sibling taxa
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. armeniaca, P. avium, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, P. fremontii, P. geniculata, P. glandulosa, P. gracilis, P. havardii, P. hortulana, P. ilicifolia, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. maritima, P. mexicana, P. minutiflora, P. murrayana, P. myrtifolia, P. nigra, P. padus, P. pensylvanica, P. persica, P. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
P. americana, P. andersonii, P. angustifolia, P. armeniaca, P. avium, P. caroliniana, P. cerasifera, P. cerasus, P. domestica, P. dulcis, P. emarginata, P. eremophila, P. fasciculata, P. fremontii, P. geniculata, P. glandulosa, P. gracilis, P. havardii, P. hortulana, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. mahaleb, P. maritima, P. mexicana, P. minutiflora, P. murrayana, P. myrtifolia, P. nigra, P. padus, P. pensylvanica, P. persica, P. pumila, P. rivularis, P. serotina, P. speciosa, P. spinosa, P. subcordata, P. subhirtella, P. texana, P. tomentosa, P. umbellata, P. virginiana, P. yedoensis
Subordinate taxa
P. ilicifolia var. ilicifolia, P. ilicifolia var. occidentalis
Synonyms Padus caroliniana, Lauro-cerasus caroliniana Cerasus ilicifolia
Name authority (Miller) Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 163. (1789) (Nuttall ex Hooker & Arnott) D. Dietrich: Syn. Pl. 3: 43. (1842)
Web links