Cherry laurel 'Schipkaensis' is an upright broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree in the rose family (Rosaceae). It is goblet-shaped and grows 10 to 15 feet tall and 5 to 7 feet wide, maintaining its proportions of being roughly twice as tall as it is wide. This cultivar is named for a location ("-ensis" is a suffix added to a place, meaning "from" that place), the Schipka pass in the mountains separating India from Nepal. In the nursery trade, it is often observed as 'Skipensis' and pronounced as Skip Cherry Laurel. This plant grows in full sun to partial shade and in a wide range of soil types, although it prefers alkaline soils and will need to be watered regularly, especially in hot summers. It is also tolerant of pollution and heavy pruning, moderately tolerant to salt, but intolerant of heavy fertilization. It has a rapid growth rate with competitive roots. The dense canopy of this shrub provides cover and nesting sites for songbirds. Locate it in a woodland or cottage garden. It would make an excellent specimen. Alternatively, plant it in small groups or even in a mass for screening or as a privacy hedge. The growth tends to be toward the top of this vase-shaped shrub so planting it at the back of a border with other smaller evergreen shrubs in front of it will help mask the more open bottom branches if a thick screen is required. Quick ID Hints: Two glands present at leaf base below next to midrib Leaves narrowly lanceolate, entire, serrate at apex Evergreen shrub, broad and vase- or goblet-shaped to 15 feet Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. More information on Prunus laurocerasus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
6-feet-12 feet; 12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 6 in. | Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 7 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Rounded; Spreading; Vase
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire; Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are alternate, simple, lanceolate, serrate near the apex, with at least 2 conspicuous glands on underside of leaf at base and near midrib. They are dark glossy green in color, narrow, and 2-6" long.
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flowers are white, small, and grow on dense, cylindrical raceme's that are 4" long in leaf axils.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Black; Purple/Lavender
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Purple-black drupe .5" long that appears in early summer and matures mid-summer.
Stem detail
Twigs are green.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
This shrub provides cover and nesting sites for birds like the Eastern towhee.
Attracts
Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Drupe
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Woodland
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden
Design feature
Hedge; Mass Planting; Screen/Privacy; Small groups; Small Tree; Specimen
Garden tags
#privacy #black fruits #white flowers #fragrant flowers #evergreen #fantz #problem for cats #problem for dogs #problem for horses #evergreen shrub #showy flowers #evergreen tree #small tree #mass planting #cottage garden #border back #urban conditions tolerant #year-round interest #bird friendly #glossy leaves #dense growth #hedge #wildlife friendly #HS304 #winter cover #nesting site #screen
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Resistant to
Dry Soil; Pollution; Poor Soil; Salt
Propagation
Seed; Stem Cutting
Poison severity
Low
Poison parts
Leaves; Seeds; Stems
Poison symptoms
Stems, leaves, seeds contain cyanide, particularly toxic in the process of wilting: brick red mucous membranes, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, panting, shock.