As of: March 18, 2024, 3:45 p.m
By: Andrea Stettner
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The cherry laurel is a common hedge plant in German gardens.
What many people don't know: the plant is poisonous.
Caution is particularly advised with children.
The cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is probably one of the most popular hedge plants in Germany and is often found in both home gardens and parks.
If the cherry laurel is pruned correctly, it will sprout vigorously every year.
However, the plant is not entirely harmless.
In 2013, the cherry laurel was
even voted “poisonous plant of the year” by the
Hamburg Botanical Garden .
If you don't eat the plant parts, you don't have to worry about possible damage.
But you should be careful, especially in late summer and autumn, if children regularly play around the plant.
Which parts of the cherry laurel are poisonous?
The berries of the cherry laurel in particular are poisonous, but so are the leaves of the popular hedge plant.
© Harald Lange/Imago
From August to September, the cherry laurel produces spherical, shiny black berries with a stone core.
However, the fruits should under no circumstances be eaten.
The toxins in cherry laurel are mainly found in the seeds and fresh leaves of the laurel cherry, as the hedge plant is also called.
These are even considered “highly poisonous”.
The reason for this is the prunasin it contains (a cyanogenic glycoside), which converts into hydrogen cyanide in the stomach after the seeds and leaves are chewed.
What to do if you are poisoned by cherry laurel?
“Fortunately, serious poisoning only occurs very rarely, as the fruit pulp does not contain any toxins and when the fruit is eaten, the seeds are usually spit out or swallowed intact,” says a statement from the Wandsbek Botanical
Garden
.
However, caution is advised, especially if children may have snacked on the berries.
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According to the
Bonn Poison Center,
an ingestion of
Up to three berries usually no symptoms of poisoning are to be expected.
However, if you have the slightest suspicion of poisoning, you should seek medical treatment immediately.
Signs of poisoning from cherry laurel seeds and leaves can include:
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stomach pain
nausea
nausea
excitement
Red face
increased breathing
Scratchy throat
Headache
Apnea
cardiac arrest
Cherry laurel is also poisonous to animals
Cherry laurel can also be dangerous for animals: “The tree has no place in horse paddocks or sheep and cow pastures.
Cats, dogs and rodents that nibble on green plants can also become poisoned,” warns the
Agrar e.V. industry association.
V. (IVA)
on its website.
Cherry laurel controversial
However, the cherry laurel has not only fallen into disrepute among many people because of its toxicity.
Conservationists would prefer to ban cherry laurel from gardens - they particularly criticize the invasiveness and low biodiversity of the plant, which comes from Asia Minor and the Southern Balkans.
Cherry laurel will therefore even be banned in Switzerland from September 1, 2024 - will that soon also be the case in Germany?