Spurge-laurel
Daphne laureola
While highly toxic to humans and other mammals, the berries are safely eaten and dispersed by birds, who are immune to the plant's harsh chemical defenses.
- Scientific name
- Daphne laureola
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Malvales › Thymelaeaceae › Daphne
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous woodlands, beech forests, and shady limestone slopes.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, North America (introduced)
- Size
- 0.5 to 1.5 meters tall
- Lifespan
- 10-20 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation in its native range; conversely, it acts as an aggressive invasive species in non-native Pacific Northwest forests.
- Safe to approach?
- Dangerous. All parts of the spurge-laurel, especially the sap and black berries, are highly toxic. Avoid touching the plant; the sap causes severe skin blistering and dermatitis. Never ingest. If sap contacts skin, wash immediately with soap and cold water. If ingested, seek emergency medical attention.
Daphne laureola , commonly called spurge-laurel (or daphne-laurel, laurel-leaved daphne, olive-spurge, wood laurel, copse laurel), 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. With Daphne mezereum it is one of two species of Daphne native to Britain, both of which have a strong preference for alkaline soils and
Photo: Fabien Piednoir, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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