Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Rosales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Prunus caroliniana
FAMILY
Rosaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Carolina Cherry Laurel at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Prunus caroliniana
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Prunus caroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 9 (2014)
Prunus caroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Prunus caroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 097-22-012:
Prunus caroliniana FAMILY Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Laurocerasus caroliniana
COMMON NAME:
Carolina Cherry Laurel, Carolina Laurel Cherry
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_611
)
JK Marlow jkm0502c_12
February Richland County SC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow jkm0502c_13
February Richland County SC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow jkm0502c_17
February Richland County SC
Roadside
Fruit often persisting until spring, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm0502c_19
February Richland County SC
Roadside
Leaves evergreen with glossy upper surfaces, aromatic when crushed, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow s050227_t
February Richland County SC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow jkm0303x_01
March Greenville County SC
SC Native Plant Society Plant Sale
Flowers appear in early spring, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Keith Bradley kab_p_caroliniana_2109
March Lexington County SC
Flowers minute, borne in short-stalked racemes in leaf axils, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Keith Bradley kab_p_caroliniana_2147
March Lexington County SC
Sepals 1-1.5mm, obtuse; petals 2-3m long; stamens 10, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_032521atlanta06
March Fulton County GA
)
Alan S. Weakley asw_591735389428906
December Georgetown County SC
Fruit a shiny black drupe, oval, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Prunus caroliniana
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Prunus caroliniana
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Prunus caroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 9
Prunus caroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Prunus caroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 097-22-012:
Prunus caroliniana
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Laurocerasus caroliniana
1160
Tree
Perennial
Habitat: maritime forests and sandy hammocks in the Coastal Plain, escaped from cultivation to fencerows and suburban forests and thickets in more inland areas, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain of GA & SC, uncommon to rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Not armed
LEAVES:
Evergreen
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
White
Radially symmetrical
5 united sepals
5 petals
10 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Black
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p180
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p095
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p075
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p292
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p296
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p089
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p255
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