Carolina laurel cherry, Prunus caroliniana

Honestly, the first time I saw laurel cherry I thought I missed the peak bloom. The petals had fallen! Turns out this is it, and the petals are just very small. Now I find it fascinating, and so do people looking for decorative trees in its southern zones. Then it turns out this is evergreen, with leaves that are described as smelling like maraschino cherries. I bet that means the good kind of cherries, with almond in the ingredients. Of course the almond aroma means those leaves are poisonous. So don't plant it if you've got herbivores. Carolina laurel cherry grows in AL, AR, CA, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, and TX. Alachua Co FL, 1/28/13. Rose family, Rosaceae.