Plant Database
Portugal Laurel
Prunus lusitanica
Prunus lusitanica is a handsome, large evergreen shrub or small tree prized for its glossy, dark green foliage, red stems, and fragrant spring flowers. Native to the Iberian Peninsula and southwestern France, this dense, upright grower features lustrous, leathery, ovate leaves with finely serrated margins and striking reddish-purple petioles. In late spring to early summer, it produces slender, upright racemes of small, creamy-white, honey-scented flowers that attract bees and other pollinators. The flowers are followed by small, red drupes that ripen to dark purple-black, providing additional interest and food for birds. With excellent shade tolerance, good disease resistance, and adaptability to a range of well-drained soils, it is an outstanding choice for formal hedges, privacy screens, woodland gardens, and as a specimen or foundation planting.