Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Plant Identification => Plant Identification Questions and Answers => Topic started by: Anthony Darby on April 12, 2015, 10:18:41 AM
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What kind of trees were used in Andy Murray's wedding? One report says bay trees, but they ain't them!
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Newspapers said they were bay trees, but their leaves are flat. I'd say Portuguese laurel, but not sure.
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Newspapers said they were bay trees, but their leaves are flat. I'd say Portuguese laurel, but not sure.
Hopefully no one pinched a few leaves to stick in the stew!
cheers
fermi
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Yes, cherry laurel leaves contain cyanide. Not sure about the Portuguese variety. Here's another pic. taken the day after - Sunday morning.
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Non-event of the year? ;D
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Like you were there David.
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They couldn't afford me ::)
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As if! If I'd been in Dunblane I would have been there, along with my friends who were singing in the choir. No charge.
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How lovely the flowers look in the Cathedral. In some of the press coverage of the preparations I saw blossom trees being carried in as well - but they, unlike these trees with the lollipop heads, had been cut off near ground level - which I thought rather sad. I can't see in the photos here where they might have been used.
I suppose that some enterprising grower may be pollarding blossom trees for this purpose and is able to get a repeat "crop " but the long "footless" trees being carried in did look a bit forlorn, in spite of the their full heads of flower.
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Found a pic of the "footless" blossom trees being taken to the Cathedral
[attachimg=1]
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Newspapers said they were bay trees, but their leaves are flat. I'd say Portuguese laurel, but not sure.
I think they are Laurus nobilis. Bay leaves from this tree are commonly used in cooking and very safe to eat.
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What kind of trees were used in Andy Murray's wedding? One report says bay trees, but they ain't them!
Hi Anthony I managed to root out an old photo of Laurus nobilis - the bay leaves are used in cooking. It is the darker green shrub at the back with pretty yellow flowers, like little powder puffs. Black berries will follow.
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Oh but there are not. Bay leaves are flat. These are "V" in cross section. The "footless" blossom branches were used on either side of the Cathedral's doors.
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Here's a comparison.
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You will notice bay leaves are flat. The trees used in the wedding have leaves that are not flat.
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Might the growing conditions affect the shape of the leaves? I'm thinking of how Rhododendron leaves react to cold and/ or drought.... :-\
Some other pix of those blossom trees that so intriqued me!
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Could they be Viburnum awabuki?
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Yes, cherry laurel leaves contain cyanide. Not sure about the Portuguese variety. Here's another pic. taken the day after - Sunday morning.
Anthony - I've read the concentrations are very high in winter and not so very during the growing season. Is that true?
john
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You will notice bay leaves are flat. The trees used in the wedding have leaves that are not flat.
Anthony I cannot see them clearly from the photos but from your own photos the Portuguese laurel has serrated edges but the Laurel nobilis has a slightly wavy edge without the serrated bits. I have been having a look at the strange shape of the trees in question and have discovered this is called 'pleaching'. It is designed to allow walls etc to be seen below the head of the tree. Maybe they have been borrowed from his hotel for the day. Maggie your photos of the flowering cherry trees are very nice in those huge arrangements but what a shame that they have been chopped, unless they are artificial (silk). They do all seem to be the same size. I hope somebody from Dunblane will let us know.