Prunus caroliniana

(Miller) Aiton

Hort. Kew. 2: 163. 1789.

Common names: Carolina cherry laurel or laurel cherry laurier amande
Endemic
Basionym: Padus caroliniana Miller Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Padus no. 6. 1768
Synonyms: Lauro-cerasus caroliniana (Miller) M. Roemer
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 9. Treatment on page 361. Mentioned on page 355, 363.

Shrubs or trees, not suckering, 40–120 dm, not thorny. Twigs 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. Inflorescences 12–30-flowered, racemes; central axes 13–30 (–43) mm, leafless at bases. Pedicels 1–4 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. Drupes black, ovoid, 9–12 mm, glabrous; mesocarps leathery; stones ovoid, not flattened, usually splitting open. 2n = 32.


Phenology: Flowering Feb–Apr; fruiting May–Nov.
Habitat: Stream bottoms, thickets, wooded uplands, maritime forests, naturalizing in urban woodlands
Elevation: 0–200 m

Distribution

V9 582-distribution-map.jpg

Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tex.

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.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Prunus caroliniana"
usually acute;short-acuminate +
Joseph R. Rohrer +
(Miller) Aiton +
dark gray +, gray-brown +, reddish-brown +  and reddish +
compound +  and simple +
opposite +  and alternate +
cuneate +  and obtuse +
Padus caroliniana +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
oblanceolate +  and elliptic +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br />) +
membranous +  and leathery +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +  and 4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (?) +
free +  and distinct +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (4.3 cm43 mm <br />0.043 m <br />) +
1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
Carolina cherry laurel or laurel cherry +  and laurier amande +
solitary +, fascicles +, 2-flowered +  and umbellate +
Ala. +, Ark. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, La. +, Miss. +, N.C. +, S.C. +  and Tex. +
not +  and aggregated +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
0–200 m +
flattened +
hairy +  and glabrous +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
not +  and aggregated +
not +  and aggregated +
not +  and aggregated +
Stream bottoms, thickets, wooded uplands, maritime forests, naturalizing in urban woodlands +
persistent +  and deciduous +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
crassinucellate +
persistent +
entire +  and spinose-serrate +
glandular-toothed +  and undulate +
inferior +  and superior +
biseriate +  and clustered +
collateral +  and apical +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
0 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
free +  and distinct +
suborbiculate;elliptic +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
Flowering Feb–Apr +  and fruiting May–Nov. +
adnate +, free +, connate +  and distinct +
circular +  and oval +
not arillate +
free +  and distinct +
obovate +, lanceolate +, ovate-elliptic +, oblong +, ovate +, semicircular +  and triangular +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
free +  and distinct +
branched +  and simple +
1 +  and 20 +
linear;lanceolate +
not flattened +  and ovoid +
deciduous +
distinct +
basal +, lateral +, subterminal +  and terminal +
not elongate +
Lauro-cerasus caroliniana +
Prunus caroliniana +
species +
inconspicuous +
tree +, not suckering +  and shrub +
hairy +  and glabrous +