Side by side
Cherry laurel or rhododendron? How to tell them apart
Prunus laurocerasus · Rhododendron
How to tell them apart – cherry laurel: leaves with tiny glands, white flower spikes and black cherries; rhododendron: shrub with large, leathery leaves and big flower trusses in May, only on acid soil.
How do you recognise them?
- Cherry laurel
- Evergreen, large glossy leaf without spines; upright clusters of white flowers.
- Compared with rhododendron: leaves with tiny glands, white flower spikes and black cherries.
- Rhododendron
- Shrub with large, leathery leaves and big flower trusses in May; only on acid soil.
| Cherry laurel | Rhododendron | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, evergreen, leathery and glossy light green, 10–20 cm, edge smooth or shallowly toothed. A few small glands underneath near the base. | Alternate, often in false whorls at the shoot tips, leathery, untoothed, 8–20 cm. Azaleas have smaller, often deciduous leaves. |
| Flowering | Upright spikes of small white flowers in April–May (April–May). | Large, funnel-shaped flowers in trusses, May–June, in all kinds of colours (April–June). |
| Fruit | Glossy black little cherries; seeds and leaves are poisonous. | Woody capsules. |
| Bark | Grey-brown and smooth. | Greyish-brown. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 3–8 m, usually a shrub or hedge | Shrub, 1–4 m |
| Site | Sun to shade, any garden soil, normal | Partial shade or shade, acid soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, an invasive alien species | No, naturalised |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Little | Yes, for bees and birds |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Yes, take care with children and pets | Yes, take care with children and pets |
| Pruning months | May–June and August–September | June–July |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Cherry laurel is an invasive non-native species: do not plant it. Pull up seedlings and choose a native species instead.
- Cherry laurel is poisonous to people and pets: take care with children and animals.
- Rhododendron is poisonous to people and pets: take care with children and animals.
Read on
- Plant profile: Cherry laurel
- Plant profile: Rhododendron
- Cherry laurel: when and how to prune
- Rhododendron: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
Also looks like
- Bay laurel or cherry laurel
- Spotted laurel or cherry laurel
- Camellia or cherry laurel
- Photinia or cherry laurel
- Holly or cherry laurel
- Cherry laurel or oleaster
- Cherry laurel or leatherleaf viburnum
- Cherry laurel or Japanese skimmia
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.