Invasive plants
Switzerland bans sale of cherry laurel
Cherry laurel is popular in Germany, especially as an opaque hedge. (Archive image) Photo
© picture alliance / dpa
In Germany, cherry laurel is very popular as an opaque hedge, but in Switzerland it is now banned. This is intended to put a stop to the invasive and poisonous species from September 1st.
Switzerland is taking action against the cherry laurel, which is also popular in Germany as a hedge plant: from September 1st, the invasive species may no longer be sold, given away or imported. This is to prevent the plants from spreading in the environment and causing damage. However, plants that are already in gardens do not have to be pulled out.
The cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) from the rose family comes from Asia Minor. It is evergreen, fairly insensitive to heat and drought and quickly grows several meters high to form an opaque wall.
Cherry laurel is largely useless to native insects due to its toxicity; the flowers only provide a moderate supply of nectar for bumblebees, wild bees and butterflies. Larger herbivores also largely avoid the species because of the poisons it contains.
Hydrocyanic acid in the stomach
When the leaves are consumed, poisonous hydrogen cyanide can develop in the stomach, as the Wandsbek Botanical Garden explains. In 2013, it named the cherry laurel the “Poisonous Plant of the Year” following a survey.
“Invasive alien species can cause ecological, economic and health damage,” the Swiss government stated in its decision to ban sales. They often spread so much that they displace native plants, depriving insects and other species of their habitat or food.
The damage caused by invasive species
According to a report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), invasive species have played a key role in 60 percent of extinct animal and plant species.
There are 31 invasive plants on the Swiss banned list, including the butterfly bush and the bluebell tree.