Content
- Laurel - different species for garden and kitchen
- The many varieties of laurel family
- The real laurel as a spice and garden plant
- The cherry laurel as a garden plant
- Tips & Tricks
Laurel - different species for garden and kitchen
The real laurel and the cherry laurel belong to the genus of laurel family, whose representatives are mostly evergreen and occur in different growth forms. The plants used in the garden of the order Lauraceae grow woody and shrubby.
The many varieties of laurel family
The botanical relatives of real laurel and cherry laurel worldwide count about 50 genera with nearly 2500 distinguishable species. Many of them are native to tropical areas, to the well-known representatives of the laurel family include due to the use in the kitchen in this country genuine laurel and cinnamon. Economically important products from plant components and fruits of laurel family are:
The real laurel as a spice and garden plant
In the Mediterranean, real laurel is found in the wild, which is why it has been integrated into the Italian and Greek cuisine for millennia in the form of leaves. In the Greek mythology, the real laurel is also mentioned, as turned Daphne, for example, on the run from Apollo in a laurel tree. Due to its strong importance as a spice and medicinal plant the real laurel bears the sounding Latin name Laurus nobilis. It can reach heights of growth in tree-size of up to 10 meters in the Mediterranean. In this country, such a height is usually not achievable, because the real laurel can be overwintered mostly because of its sensitivity to frost only as a potted plant. The plant bears small green-yellow flowers, from which blue-black shiny berries form.
The cherry laurel as a garden plant
The so-called cherry laurel is actually called laurel cherry and is botanically not directly related to the real laurel. Although the leaves of this plant can not be harvested for use in the kitchen, as in the real laurel, but it is winter hardy in most central European locations. This property has helped the cherry laurel to become widely used as a hedge plant. The plants do not shed their leaves in the winter and thus provide all year round an ideal screen for the garden.
Tips & Tricks
Although the varieties are not related to each other, real laurel and cherry laurel can be confused by laymen. However, true laurel has a more upright and less branched habit, its leaves are narrower and less shiny than those of cherry laurel.