Bay Laurel or Carolina Cherry Laurel?

Q. I found your blog and am hoping you can tell me if this tree in the picture is a Bay Laurel. I have looked at pictures of Carolina Cherry trees that also look similar. This tree has supports which I know need to be removed at some point. The tree was planted by my builder in February of last year.

A. Looks like Bay Laurel to me. Bay Laurel is a Mediterranean tree and more tolerant of our desert climate than Carolina Cherry Laurel. Carolina Cherry Laurel is native to the southeastern US and not tolerant of desert conditions without proper site selection, soil preparation and watering.

            One easy way to tell the difference is to crush the leaves and smell the herbal (Bay) aroma of Bay Laurel. Bay Laurel leaves are pungent in their aroma. When you crush the leaves of Carolina Cherry Laurel they have an aroma of cherry rather than herbal. 

            The second way is to look for round “glands” at the base of the Carolina Cherry Laurel leaf where the leaf is attached to the petiole (leaf stem). These “glands” are characteristic of many plants in this genus (Prunus).

Click here to see the glands on P. serrulata