Shrub identity

bruschi

Hi,

Looking to see if anyone can identify this hedge/shrub for me. It's a prunus or laurel of somesort I think, but cannot nail it down to the specific type.





Need it to be the same as the one in the pic, the one beside it got ran over by a lawnmower and completely destroyed.

Thanks!

*Apologies for the oversized image and sideways frame!

my3cents

I think its just a poor specimen of Cherry Laurel, Prunus laurocerasus doesn't look anything like Portuguese Laurel, Prunus lusitanica?

If only I could smell it Cherry Laurel has a very characteristic smell, partly I believe due to the cyanide contained in the leaves.

bruschi

my3cents wrote: »

I think its just a poor specimen of Cherry Laurel, Prunus laurocerasus doesn't look anything like Portuguese Laurel, Prunus lusitanica?

If only I could smell it Cherry Laurel has a very characteristic smell, partly I believe due to the cyanide contained in the leaves.

I'll upload the smell for you! if only I knew how

I've had someone since think that it is euonymus alatus. And the leafs on that do seem more similar than the Cherry laurel as I thought it was Cherry laurel first too. I'll probably know more in autumn when it starts changing colour!

my3cents

bruschi wrote: »

I'll upload the smell for you! if only I knew how

I've had someone since think that it is euonymus alatus. And the leafs on that do seem more similar than the Cherry laurel as I thought it was Cherry laurel first too. I'll probably know more in autumn when it starts changing colour!

Euonymus alatus was actually my first thought but it doesn't seem to have any of the corky wings on the stems as far as I can see?

standardg60

I would concur with prunus laurocerasus, it's the same as the hedge in the background isn't it? It is starving though.

Euonymus alatus has much smaller leaves.

my3cents

So lets sort out the Euonymus alatus possibility. Without having a scale on the OP's pictures makes it difficult to totally iliminate it.

So here's some pictures with a scale....





And the corky wings .....

bruschi

standardg60 wrote: »

I would concur with prunus laurocerasus, it's the same as the hedge in the background isn't it? It is starving though.

Euonymus alatus has much smaller leaves.

no, not the same as the ones in the background. This one only went in the last 4 weeks and, whilst not complaining, we've only had one day of rain, which was Wednesday, since it was planted. Trying to keep it well watered and fed.

my3cents wrote: »

So lets sort out the Euonymus alatus possibility. Without having a scale on the OP's pictures makes it difficult to totally iliminate it.

So here's some pictures with a scale....


And the corky wings .....

uploaded another couple of pics with ruler and closer in. Some flowers have come up in the past couple of days. Some of the edges of the leaves have a redish tinge on it now

the one with the scale wont rotate for me no matter what I tried









thanks for your help guys!

my3cents

Yep, pretty sure thats Cherry Laurel. There are quite a few different forms and the leaves will be smaller like yours when grown in poor conditions (in grass is never going to be ideal).

bruschi

my3cents wrote: »

Yep, pretty sure thats Cherry Laurel. There are quite a few different forms and the leaves will be smaller like yours when grown in poor conditions (in grass is never going to be ideal).

thanks for that!

my3cents

bruschi wrote: »

thanks for that!

I assume it keeps its leaves over winter? If it looses them then I'm wrong

bruschi

my3cents wrote: »

I assume it keeps its leaves over winter? If it looses them then I'm wrong

havent a clue, it has only just been planted in the past 4 weeks, hence its dryness. I'll know if that one turns out to be red in colour or loses it leaves or its replacement is totally different once planted! Another few months and I'll know if I got it right or not!

my3cents

I'm still not sure on this one? A closer look at the flower in your pics leads me away from Laurel and back to Euonymus.

Then the really dumb thing I didn't even check was if the leaves were alternate or opposite. Prunus family are all alternate and Euonymus are all opposite in that you get pairs of leaves together on a twig rather than alternately one leaf on one side then a bit of a gap then another on the other side.

Prunus generally have petals in 5's Euonymus have 4. You pictures show 4 petals.

So I'm going for Euonymus but not sure which one.

standardg60

my3cents wrote: »

I'm still not sure on this one? A closer look at the flower in your pics leads me away from Laurel and back to Euonymus.

Then the really dumb thing I didn't even check was if the leaves were alternate or opposite. Prunus family are all alternate and Euonymus are all opposite in that you get pairs of leaves together on a twig rather than alternately one leaf on one side then a bit of a gap then another on the other side.

Prunus generally have petals in 5's Euonymus have 4. You pictures show 4 petals.

So I'm going for Euonymus but not sure which one.

We'll get there eventually! Forgot about the alternate/opposite leaves too.

Yep Euonymus looks fairly clear now, leaf is glossier than E. alatus so I would imagine it's E. europaeus.

bruschi

cheers guys! will see if I can get a replacement. Might buy 3 and plant them all together!

my3cents

standardg60 wrote: »

We'll get there eventually! Forgot about the alternate/opposite leaves too.

Yep Euonymus looks fairly clear now, leaf is glossier than E. alatus so I would imagine it's E. europaeus.

I'd have said europaeus if the leaves were wider, but perhaps there are forms of europaeus with narrower leaves.

TAZ32

looks to me like bay laurel, Laurus nobilis either starved or drying out, even the flowers. cherry laurel are usually in a spike.

my3cents

TAZ32 wrote: »

looks to me like bay laurel, Laurus nobilis either starved or drying out, even the flowers. cherry laurel are usually in a spike.

Well if thats the case the OP should be able to smell it and tell us.

bruschi

had it confirmed, it is definitely a Euonymus alatus, or burning bush as it was called to me when being confirmed.

thanks for your help!