Laurustinus         vi-BER-num TI-nus

• Evergreen shrub, 6-12 ft (1.8-3.7 m), upright, rounded.  Leaves opposite, simple, narrowly ovate to oblong, 4-10 cm long, entire, lustrous dark green above, paler beneath, line on stem connecting petioles.  Flowers pink in bud, open white, in clusters 5-10 cm across, blooms in late winter.  Fruit metallic blue, matures to black, ovoid, 6 mm long.
• Sun to part shade.  Withstand considerable shade and salt spray.
• Hardy to USDA Zone (7-8)9 (cold injury)       Native to southern Europe, especially the Mediterranean region and northern Africa.  It has been in cultivation in England for some 500 years.
• Some of the cultivars include:
• ‘Bewley's Variegated’  -  has green leaves with cream-yellow edging, grows to 5 ft (1.5 m).
• ‘Spring Bouquet’  (‘Compactum’, ‘Compact Spring Bouquet’)  -  a popular cultivar, grows to 3-5 ft tall (0.9-1.5 m) with an equal spread.
• ‘Robustum’  -  (Roundleaf Laurustinus)  grows as large as the species, has larger leaves (10 cm) and pink flowers.
• Oregon State Univ. campus: southeast and southwest of Ag. and Life Sciences.