Family: spurge-laurel family (Thymelaeaceae)
Flowering time: March–April
Size: 40–120 cm
Habitat: forests
Laurel-leaved Daphne (Daphne laureola) is a sparsely branched shrub with leathery, glabrous evergreen leaves. These are widest toward the middle, their surface is slightly glossy. They are up to 12 cm long, up to 3 cm wide. It flowers early, its unpleasantly scented yellow-green flowers with orange anthers are about 1 cm long. About five flowers are grouped in a raceme. Some such inflorescences unfold in the leaf axils of the upper cauline leaves. The ovate fruits are about 8 mm long; when ripe they are black. It thrives on warmer places in forests on moderately dry calcareous soils.
In Slovenia it is found mainly in the Dinaric and Pre-Alpine parts of the country. Laurel-leaved Daphne produces substances that are poisonous to humans and other mammals!
