cherrylaurel Rosaceae Prunus laurocerasus

Leaf:Alternate, simple, evergreen, ovate, obovate, or nearly lanceolate, 2 to 6 inches long, entire margin or somewhat serrate, dark shiny green above, much paler below.
Flower:Very fragrant, up to 5 inch long clusters of small, white, 5-petal flowers, generally held upright, late spring.
Fruit:Clustered drupes, up to 1/2 inch in diameter, shiny black when ripe in mid summer.
Twig:Shiny yellow-green, slender, somewhat angled, pronounced bitter almond odor and taste, pre-formed catkins present in leaf nodes.
Bark:Red-brown to gray-brown.
Form:A large, dense, multi-stem shrub or small tree to 20 feet, generally wider than tall.

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