Portuguese laurel

Description:

Evergreen tree with shiny oval leaves, flowers that are white and quite fragrant.

Habitat:

Cultivar in a dry, temperate area

Notes:

Funny that its genus name is "Prunus"--it really has to be pruned regularly or it will take over, and when pruned it makes a nice hedge. It eventually makes round dark fruits that make quite a mess under the tree; they are related to cherries but apparently are toxic if not fully ripe (contain cyanide). The plant seems similar to the bay laurel, but is apparently not the same.