The cherry laurel with its beautifully coloured, shiny foliage is very popular both as a solitary plant and as a hedge. When other trees shed their leaves in autumn, the evergreen shrub keeps the foliage and enchants the wintry garden. Numerous fragrant umbels appear in spring, from which dark berries develop in the following months.

Sweet fruits with a highly poisonous core

The Latin name of the cherry laurel Prunus indicates the close relationship of the ornamental tree with our native plums and cherries. In fact, the glossy black fruits of the cherry laurel, about one centimeter in size, resemble these popular fruit varieties.

The pulp of the laurel cherry tastes pleasantly juicy and sweet with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The concentration of toxins contained in all parts of the plant is lowest in it. The scent and aroma of the fruit are reminiscent of bitter almonds, which also contain traces of hydrocyanic acid and should therefore not be eaten by children.

Dangerous ingredient in kernels

The seeds contained in the berries are highly toxic to children, adults and animals. If the seed is chewed when eating the fruit, the hydrocyanic acid is released and nausea, vomiting, dizziness and stomach pain may occur. Since children are much more sensitive to the toxin, even eating fewer fruits can lead to respiratory arrest and unconsciousness.

Jelly and jam from the poisonous fruit?

In its Turkish homeland, the fruit of the cherry laurel is considered a delicacy and the berries are commercially available both dried and made into jelly or jam. This is possible because the pulp of the laurel cherry is only slightly toxic and the toxins are partially destroyed by the drying and cooking process. Nevertheless, you should leave the preparation of jelly from the fruit of the cherry laurel to the professionals. When the berries are passed, the seeds could break, the toxin could migrate into the fruit pulp and make it inedible.

Better to cut off decorative berries

In households with small children and on sidewalks, it is therefore advisable to cut back the laurel cherry immediately after flowering. In this way, the bees can feast on the nectar of the flowers, but there is no risk of children accidentally nibbling on the berries.

If you don't want to completely do without the pretty berry decorations, you should remove all faded flowers, at least in the lower area. This pruning also has benefits for the plant, which will thrive more vigorously as a result. Blossoms and fruits need to be nourished and their development requires a lot of nutrients.

tips and tricks

With a little patience, you can grow new cherry laurel bushes yourself from the seeds contained in the fruit. Propagation by seeds often happens all by itself, so that in spring you can dig up the germinated young plants in the vicinity of an existing cherry laurel and move them to the desired place.

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Trees