Daphne laureola

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Daphne laureola
Daphne laureola 8703.jpg
In flower
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Thymelaeaceae
Genus: Daphne
Species:
D. laureola
Binomial name
Daphne laureola
L.

Daphne laureola, commonly called spurge-laurel, [1] is a shrub in the flowering plant family Thymelaeaceae. Despite the name, this woodland plant is neither a spurge nor a laurel. Its native range covers much of Europe and extends to Algeria, Morocco and the Azores. [1]

Contents

Description

Daphne laureola reaches a height between 0.5–1.5 m (1.6–4.9 ft). The habit of this shrub can be upright or decumbent (arched at the base then spreading upward). The bark is thin and yellow-grey when mature, while immature stems are green. The cambium is malodorous with a scent reminiscent of herb robert.[ citation needed ]

The alternate leaves usually form dense whorls at the shoot tips, but may clothe entire branches. The leaves are oblanceolate to obovate-oblanceolate, 2–13 cm long and 1–3 cm wide. They are glabrous (smooth), dark green and glossy on the upper surface and lighter in color beneath.

The inconspicuous yellow-green axial flowers, usually hidden among the leaf bases, may be strongly fragrant, or may exhibit no scent at all. [2]

Distribution and habitat

With Daphne mezereum it is one of two species of Daphne native to Great Britain, both of which have a strong preference for alkaline soils and are most commonly found in limestone areas, although D. laureola is also found on clay. [3] However, unlike D. mezereum, D. laureola is evergreen, with yellowish green flowers borne very early in the spring and black berries, which are poisonous to humans but not to birds, present from late summer. [4] All parts of the plants are poisonous. The sap is known to cause skin rashes on contact.

As an invasive

Outside its native range, D. laureola can become a dangerous invasive weed. Growing in sun or shade, it is well-suited to the temperate forest understory and can rapidly colonize areas (both by seeding and by root suckering) to form monotypic stands and out-compete native vegetation. It is a Class B Noxious weed in Washington state. [5] Already a weed under native forests in Tasmania, Australia, [6] [7] and New Zealand. [8]

Mentioned on 5th Dec 1783, called dwarf laurels, by Gilbert White who “fetched them” from the high wood and hanger at Selborne and planted them in his garden. [9]

Hand-pulling is effective against small infestations (gloves must be worn to protect against the caustic sap); shrubs too large or too small to pull must be dug out. [2]

Etymology

Daphne is an ancient Greek name for laurel, and is also the name of the dryad Daphne, a figure in Greek mythology. [10]

Laureola means 'laurel-like'. So, in summation, the binomial literally translates to 'laurel-like laurel'. [10]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Daphne</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants in the family Thymelaeaceae

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Thymelaeaceae Family of flowering plants

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<i>Euphorbia cyparissias</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia cyparissias, the cypress spurge, is a species of plant in the genus Euphorbia. It is native to Europe and was introduced to North America in the 1860s as an ornamental plant.

<i>Euphorbia myrsinites</i> Species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia myrsinites, the myrtle spurge, blue spurge, or broad-leaved glaucous-spurge, is a succulent species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae.

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Genista monspessulana, commonly known as French broom, Montpellier broom, or Cape broom (Australia), is a woody leguminous perennial shrub. The yellow-flowering bush is native to the Mediterranean region, and while it may still be commonly sold in some garden stores, it is considered an invasive plant in most places where it has been introduced. It is a noxious weed on the western coast of the US and in parts of Australia.

<i>Euphorbia albomarginata</i> Species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia albomarginata, whitemargin sandmat or rattlesnake weed, is a small low-growing perennial, in the spurge family native to desert, chaparral, and grassland habitats of southwestern North America, from southern and central California to Northern Mexico and Louisiana.

<i>Daphne mezereum</i> Species of plant

Daphne mezereum, commonly known as mezereum, mezereon, February daphne, spurge laurel or spurge olive, is a species of Daphne in the flowering plant family Thymelaeaceae, native to most of Europe and Western Asia, north to northern Scandinavia and Russia. In southern Europe it is confined to medium to higher elevations and in the subalpine vegetation zone, but descends to near sea level in northern Europe. It is generally confined to soils derived from limestone.

<i>Euphorbia lathyris</i> Flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia lathyris, the caper spurge or paper spurge, is a species of spurge native to southern Europe, northwest Africa, and eastward through southwest Asia to western China.

Daphne was a naiad in Greek mythology.

<i>Daphne odora</i> Species of plant

Daphne odora, winter daphne, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae, native to China, later spread to Japan and Korea. It is an evergreen shrub, grown for its very fragrant, fleshy, pale-pink, tubular flowers, each with four spreading lobes, and for its glossy foliage. It rarely fruits, producing red berries after flowering.

<i>Phaleria clerodendron</i> Species of plant in the family Thymelaeaceae endemic to Queensland

Phaleria clerodendron, commonly known as scented daphne, scented phaleria or rosy apple, is an evergreen tree or tall shrub in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is endemic to the rainforests of north-eastern Queensland, Australia.

Daphnin Chemical compound

Daphnin is a plant toxin with the chemical formula C15H16O9 and is one of the active compounds present in the Eurasian and North African genus Daphne of the Thymelaeaceae, a plant family with a predominantly Southern Hemisphere distribution with concentrations in Australia and tropical Africa.

<i>Euphorbia rigida</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia rigida, the gopher spurge or upright myrtle spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, native to southern Europe and southwest Asia. Growing to 50 cm (20 in) tall and broad, it is a bushy evergreen perennial with somewhat fleshy leaves arranged in a spiral, bearing bunches of bright yellow flowers in late Spring.

<i>Pimelea prostrata</i> Species of plant

Pimelea prostrata, commonly known as Strathmore weed, New Zealand Daphne, and Pinatoro (Māori) is a species of small shrub, of the family Thymelaeaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has small white flowers and blue green leaves.

<i>Daphne pseudomezereum</i> Species of shrub

Daphne pseudomezereum is a shrub, of the family Thymelaeaceae. It is native to Japan, specifically Honshu, and Korea.

Daphne malyana is a shrub, of the family Thymelaeaceae. It is native to Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia.

References

  1. 1 2 "Daphne laureola". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board: Daphne laureola
  3. Stace, Clive (2010). New Flora of the British Isles (3rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-70772-5. pp. 381–382.
  4. The Reader's Digest Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Britain p.123.
  5. "Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board". Archived from the original on 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  6. Baker, ML (January 2013). "Daphne laureola L. (Thymelaeaceae): A weedy alien species new to Australia" via ResearchGate.
  7. "Daphne Laurel". Hobartcity.au. 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  8. "Green Daphne Laurel". Weed Busters New Zealand. 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-02. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  9. The English Year, compiled by Geoffrey Grigson O.U.P 1967
  10. 1 2 Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN   9780521685535 (paperback). pp 134, 232