The Portuguese laurel cherry (Prunus lusitanica), as the name suggests, originally comes from Portugal. The shrub or tree, which can be up to six meters high, can also be found in other Mediterranean regions such as the Canary Islands, Spain, southern France or Morocco. The shrub is sometimes described as highly poisonous. What's behind it?
Is the Portuguese laurel poisonous?
The Portuguese laurel cherry is poisonous because its leaves and seeds contain the substance prunasin, a cyanogenic glycoside that releases highly toxic hydrogen cyanide. However, the fruits of the plant are non-toxic.
Poisonous in principle, but
As with other cherry laurel plants, both the leaves and seeds of the Portuguese laurel cherry contain the substance prunasin, a cyanogenic glycoside. Prunasin contains highly toxic hydrogen cyanide, which, when combined with water and certain enzymes, is released in the digestive tract and can have fatal effects. Although the flesh of the dark red berries that ripen in September is hardly poisonous, the seeds they contain are even more dangerous. However, they are extremely hard and practically impossible to chew. Our body excretes them without being chewed - so they have no toxic effect on our body.
Tip
Invasive bee pasture?
The Nature Conservation Association of Germany (NABU) once pointedly described cherry laurel as an “ecological pest” because the shrub is very invasive and displaces native plants. It is also uninteresting to most insects and birds. In contrast, however, there is the assessment of the IG Baumschulen Südwest and the Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Gardening, which point to the great benefits of the cherry laurel for bees and bumblebees.