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Schipka Cherry Laurel Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis'

Phonetic Spelling
PROO-nus lo-roh-SER-AY-sis
This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
See below
Description

A popular Laurel cultivar, 'Schipkaensis' is an upright evergreen shrub or small tree that is goblet-shaped and grows 10 to 15 feet tall and 5 to 7 feet wide maintaining its proportions of being roughly twice as tall as they are wide.  This cultivar is named for a location ("-ensis" is a suffix added to a place, meaning "from" that place), the Schipka pass in the mountains separating India from Nepal.   In the nursery trade, it is often observed as 'Skipensis' and pronounced as Skip Cherry Laurel.

Glossy green leaves are dense and bear several teeth near the apex as the leaf narrows.  This plant blooms in spring and has denser flowering racemes than 'Otto Luyken'. The leaves tend to be more perpendicular to the stem or slightly drooping, whereas those of 'Otto Luyken' are angled upward at a 45-60 degree angle to the stem.

This plant is tolerant of alkaline soils, dry and poor soils, pollution, and heavy pruning. It is moderately tolerant to salt but is intolerant of heavy fertilization. It has a rapid growth rate with competitive roots.  This plant tolerates pruning and shade well but will need to be watered regularly especially in hot summers.

The dense canopy of this shrub provides cover and nesting sites for songbirds.  It would make an excellent specimen or plant in small groups or even mass plant for screen or privacy hedge.  The growth tends to be toward the top of this vase-shaped shrub so planting it at the back of a border with other smaller evergreen shrubs in front of it will help mask the more open bottom branches if a thick screen is required.

Quick ID Hints:

  • 2 glands present at leaf base below next to midrib
  • Leaves narrowly lanceolate, entire, serrate at apex 
  • Evergreen shrub, broad and vase or goblet-shaped to 15 feet

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  No serious problems.

More information on Prunus laurocerasus.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#fragrant#evergreen#showy flowers#small tree#fragrant flowers#white flowers#cover plant#cottage garden#mass planting#year-round interest#privacy#glossy leaves#screening#black fruits#fantz#nesting sites#evergreen shrub#evergreen tree#border back#urban conditions tolerant#bird friendly#problem for cats#problem for dogs#problem for horses#dense growth#hedge#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#fragrant#evergreen#showy flowers#small tree#fragrant flowers#white flowers#cover plant#cottage garden#mass planting#year-round interest#privacy#glossy leaves#screening#black fruits#fantz#nesting sites#evergreen shrub#evergreen tree#border back#urban conditions tolerant#bird friendly#problem for cats#problem for dogs#problem for horses#dense growth#hedge#wildlife friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Prunus
    Species:
    laurocerasus
    Family:
    Rosaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Seed
    Stem Cutting
    Wildlife Value:
    This shrub provides cover and nesting sites for birds like the Eastern towhee.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 6 in.
    Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 7 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Shrub
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Broadleaf Evergreen
    Habit/Form:
    Dense
    Rounded
    Spreading
    Vase
    Growth Rate:
    Medium
    Texture:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Shallow Rocky
    Soil pH:
    Alkaline (>8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Available Space To Plant:
    6-feet-12 feet
    12-24 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Black
    Purple/Lavender
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Summer
    Fruit Type:
    Drupe
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    Purple-black drupe .5" long that appears in early summer and matures mid-summer.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Raceme
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Fragrant
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    Flowers are white, small, and grow on dense, cylindrical raceme's that are 4" long in leaf axils.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Broadleaf Evergreen
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Glossy
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Lanceolate
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Serrate
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    3-6 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Leaves are alternate, simple, lanceolate, serrate near the apex, with at least 2 conspicuous glands on underside of leaf at base and near midrib. They are dark glossy green in color, narrow, and 2-6" long.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Twigs are green.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Cottage Garden
    Design Feature:
    Hedge
    Mass Planting
    Screen/Privacy
    Small groups
    Small Tree
    Specimen
    Attracts:
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Dry Soil
    Pollution
    Poor Soil
    Salt
    Problems:
    Problem for Cats
    Problem for Dogs
    Problem for Horses
  • Poisonous to Humans:
    Poison Severity:
    Low
    Poison Symptoms:
    Stems, leaves, seeds contain cyanide, particularly toxic in the process of wilting: brick red mucous membranes, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, panting, shock.
    Poison Toxic Principle:
    Cyanogenic glycosides
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    No
    Poison Part:
    Leaves
    Seeds
    Stems