Naturalization of Prunus laurocerasus in a forest in Germany

Abstract

The cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is a very popular garden plant and has been widely reported as a garden escape in Central Europe. However, it is still considered an unestablished neophyte in Germany. Few critical data are available on local population sizes, life history or reproductive biology outside its natural range. We carried out a study with 24 transects of 500 m × 6 m in the Kottenforst near Bonn, western Germany to fill these knowledge gaps. Along these transects we recorded the plant number and plant sizes and analysed their age structure. We found Prunus laurocerasus along 19 of 24 transects with up to 63 individual per transect. The largest plants covered areas of up to 50 m2 and were up to 30 years old. However, most of the plants were less than 20 years old and established since 2000. Since we observed high fruit set and old plants surrounded by many seedlings we conclude that Prunus laurocerasus has to be considered as an established neophyte in our study area and has invasive potential.