Bay berries

Heather Michaels

Hi everyone, I need your help again please.

Have attached a couple of photos here. This is the Laurel? tree that forms the barrier around our property. Its now covered in the berries below. Edible? Poisenous? 

 

The tree. Laurel?

 

These are the berries. Sorry if the pic is a little blurry, they're really high up and I couldn't hold this phone still with my arms outstretched in the air! Hope you can see them well enough.

Thank you, Heather

Dovefromabove

My understanding is that the flesh around the central stone isn't poisonous, but if you chewed the stone you would be quite ill indeed.  The leaves too are poisonous.

The title to your thread implies that you think this is bay laurel - it is not, it is cherry laurel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_laurocerasus

Heather Michaels

Thanks Dove, I just had a feeling that they parobably weren't the best thing to eat! Will tell Mr. Bloke that he needs to quash the temptation to eat them like they were cherries! Presume I am correct and its a Laurel tree? 

Heather Michaels

Dove sorry only half your response came up before and didn't see the link here. Thanks again for the help. And if its a cherry laurel that explains whey the other half says they look like cherries.

Dovefromabove

Yep - English or cherry laurel.  Is this a much-needed bloke or dispensible? 

Dovefromabove

 I added the link and the bit about it not being bay afterwards as it was then that I saw the title properly.  

Heather Michaels

hehe Dove I like your style! How to answer that? Bit of both at times 

Dovefromabove

Silver surfer

Quote wiki...

 

"Unlike the rest of the plant, which is poisonous, the cherries are edible, although rather bland and with a somewhat astringent flavour compared to the fruit of apricots, true cherries, plums, and peaches, to which it is related."

 

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Horticulture/Prunus_laurocerasus

PeterE17

Here it is again: http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/fruit-andamp-veg/what-is-this-mysterious-fruit/104200.html

Dovefromabove

Which is what I said 

Dovefromabove wrote (see)

...... the flesh around the central stone isn't poisonous, but if you chewed the stone you would be quite ill indeed.  ......