 It is introduced and locally naturalised in the temperate zone in northern France, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Western Canada- including the southern BC Mainland and Vancouver Island From Victoria Up Island through the Cowichan, Nanaimo and Parksville as well as the western United States in California, Oregon and Washington State.Similar to its relative "Prunus laurocerasus", "P. lusitanica" has been recognized by some botanists and land managers in both western Washington and Oregon as invasive.It is thought to have spread from cultivated areas into natural areas by birds who consume and defecate the fruits away from the source plant.