Prunus laurocerasus
Family: Rosaceae
Type of weed: Woody weed
Flower colour(s): Cream
Priority Weed Local Priority Weed. (See more weeds of the Local Priority Weed class.)
Flowering Months: September, October, November
Description
A multi-stemmed, vigorous, spreading, evergreen shrub, occasionally a small tree.
It has large, leathery oblong leaves with bright green shiny upper surfaces. The veins are distinctively yellow and the under surface of the leaves are pale and dull.
Upright spikes of tiny, strongly scented ivory flowers appear in spring.
Cherry-sized berries (drupes), which ripen from green to purple-black, are produced through summer and autumn.
It has been used widely in the Mountains as a hedge plant.
Don’t confuse with…
Cherry Laurel seedlings look very much like juvenile native Pittosporum undulatum plants. The leaves of Cherry Laurel have more prominent and paler veins.
Dispersal
It is spread by birds that eat the fruit, as well as in dumped garden waste.
Impact on bushland
Cherry Laurel replaces and crowds out native plants. Little grows below, except for its own seedlings, reducing the diversity of native plants and therefore the habitat they provided to native wildlife.
Distribution
Lower Blue Mountains, Upper Blue Mountains
Alternative planting
Native plants
Screening shrubs and small trees such as:
- Hakea dactyloides
- Grevillea acanthifolia
- She Oaks (Casuarina littoralis, C. distyla or C. torulosa)
- Callistemon spp
- Acacia spp
- Leptospermum spp
Council provides a tool, on its Mountain Landscapes website, to help you choose native alternative plantings. Choose your village, soil, vegetation community and the purpose of your planting, and the tool will give you suggestions.
There are native nurseries in several Blue Mountains villages, including Glenbrook, Lawson and Katoomba. Please also ask at your favourite local nursery.
Control
- Hand remove
- Stem inject or frill
- Cut and paint
Manual control
Hand remove
Grasp stem at ground level. Rock weed backwards and forwards to loosen roots, then pull out gently. Carefully tap the roots to dislodge attached soil. Replace disturbed soil and pat down.
Considerations
- Leave weeds so that roots do not make contact with soil; on a rock, for instance. A small amount of debris may be hung in a tree or removed from the site.
- Vary the position of your body to avoid fatigue when removing plants by hand over extended periods.
Chemical control
Note: Herbicides that may be used for this weed include Glyphosate.
Stem injection or frilling
Stem injection
At the base of the tree, drill holes at a 45° angle into the sapwood (just under the outer bark) at two finger space intervals around the entire base of the tree. Repeat this process below the lowest branch
Frilling
As an alternative to drilling, make cuts into the sapwood with a chisel or axe. Fill each cut/hole with herbicide immediately. Repeat the process at 3 cm intervals around the tree.
Considerations
Plants should be healthy and actively growing. Deciduous plants should be treated in spring and autumn when leaves are fully formed. For multi-stemmed plants, inject or chip below the lowest branch or treat each stem individually. Herbicide must be injected immediately before the plant cells close (within 30 seconds before translocation of herbicide ceases.)
Cut and paint
Useful for small to medium sized woody weeds up to 10 cm in diameter.
Make a horizontal cut as close to the ground as possible with secateurs or loppers, and immediately apply concentrated Glyphosate to the exposed stump surface. Do not allow the surface to get covered with soil.
Specific control tips for this weed
Seedlings can be hand pulled if all the roots are removed.
Use the cut and paint method to treat more established plants, using herbicide.
Larger plants can be stem injected.
The berries are bird spread. It is best to treat plants before they fruit. Bag any fruit or seed and dispose of in a hot compost to kill the seeds. Other parts of the plant can be spread out to dry off the ground. Once dead, the material will decompose in place or can be composted.
Cut stems left on the ground can grow new shoots and roots particularly when the soil is moist.
Note: care needs to be taken when handling prunings as Cherry Laurel leaves contain a poison that can be harmful if ingested.
For key points on these techniques:
Local Priority Weed
Control measures:
- The plant should be fully and continuously suppressed and destroyed.
- Plants under 4 metres in height should be fully and continuously suppressed and destroyed.
- The spread of this plant should be adequately contained to prevent spread impacting on priority assets. Weed notices will only be issued for these weeds under special circumstances.
