Prunus laurocerasus aka Cherry Laurel

Prunus laurocerasus, also known as cherry laurel, common laurel, and sometimes English laurel in North America, is an evergreen species of cherry. It is native to regions bordering the Black Sea in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe, from Albania and Bulgaria east through Turkey to the Caucasus Mountains and northern Iran. This plant is often used for hedges, as a screening plant, and as a massed landscape plant. The leaves of Prunus laurocerasus are dark green, leathery, shiny, and finely serrated at the margin, ranging from (5–)10–25(–30) cm long and 4–10 cm broad. They can have a scent of almonds when crushed. The flower buds appear in early spring and open in early summer in erect 7–15 cm racemes of 30–40 flowers, each flower 1 cm across, with five creamy-white petals and numerous yellowish stamens with a sweet smell. The fruit is a small cherry 1–2 cm broad, turning black when ripe in early autumn. The common names of P. laurocerasus refer to the similarity of foliage and appearance to bay laurel (Laurus nobilis, the true laurel, in the family Lauraceae), and like the bay laurel, Prunus laurocerasus was used for making laurel wreaths, but the two plants are not closely related. It is not to be confused with its American relative Prunus caroliniana, which is also called cherry laurel. Cherry Laurel is a relatively rare houseplant that is easy to grow and needs regular watering to thrive. It does best in long-lasting, direct light and should be less than 1 foot from a window. The plant likes soil that is good at retaining moisture. Cherry Laurel belongs to the Prunus genus and is native to Europe. However, it is extremely dangerous if consumed, so caution should be taken.