CHERRY-LAUREL, or LAUREL-CIIERRY. A popular name for certain evergreen species of the genii, Prunus. They bear racemes of small, usually white, flowers and small nauseous fruits, the kernels of wide!' somewhat resemble in flavor the kernel, of The kernels and leaves of the cherry-laurel are poisonous although they are to Some extent for flavoring purposes. The leaves particularly are rich in the oil of hitter almonds is obtained by aqueous maceration and distillation. The product is known as cherry-laurel water and was formerly used in medicine, but has recently declined in popularity. The common or English cherry laurel t Prunus Lunroccrasus), to which the fore going remarks chiefly apply, is a native of South eastern Europe and adjacent Asia. It is a shrub sometimes attains a height of ten feet and which bears ovate-lan•eolate, convex, smooth, shining. yellowish-green leaves and rather short terminal racemes. In Europe it is one of the
most popular ornamental shrubs. It is rarely met with in the Northern United States except in greenhouses; but in California and in the states south of Virginia, it is becoming fairly common. The methods of propagation most in vogue are long mature wood cuttings and layers. Another European species is the Portugal cherry laurel I Prunus Insitanica), which often reaches a height of twenty feet. It does not grow so well in the shade as the other species. The wild orange (Prunus raroliniunal, popularly termed in the South the mock orange, is the best-known American representative of the cherry-laurels. Throughout its range from South Carolina to Texas it often exceeds thirty feet in height. It is highly prized for ornamental planting because of its shining, dark-green leave, and short racemes of cream-•olo•ed dowers which appear in March.