Chinese privet

Ligustrum sinense Lour.

Description from Invasive.org

Appearance
Ligustrum sinense is a semi-evergreen shrub or small tree that grows to 20 ft. (6.1 m) in height. Trunks usually occur as multiple stems with many long, leafy branches.
Foliage
Leaves are opposite, oblong, 1-2.4 in. (2.5-6 cm) long, and 0.2-0.6 in. (0.5-1.5 cm) wide. Foliage can be pubescent along the underside of the midvein.
Flowers
Flowering occurs from April to June, when panicles of white to cream flowers develop in terminal and upper axillary clusters. Pollen can cause an allergic reaction in some people.
Fruit
The abundant fruits are spherical and 0.3-0.5 in. (1-1.3 cm) long. Fruit begins green, ripens to dark purple to black, and persists into winter. Birds and other wildlife eat the fruit and disperse the seeds. Seed soil viability is about one year. The plant also colonizes by root sprouts.
Ecological Threat
Several privet species occur, and distinguishing among them can be difficult. Ligustrum sinense can tolerate a wide range of conditions. Plants form dense thickets, invading fields, fencerows, roadsides, forest understories, and riparian sites. They can shade out and exclude native understory species, perhaps even reducing tree recruitment. Native to Europe and Asia, Ligustrum sinense was introduced in the United States in 1852 as an ornamental plant. It is commonly used as an ornamental shrub and for hedgerows.

Resources

Selected Images from Invasive.org

View All Images at Invasive.org


Flower(s)
Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
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Fruit(s) January
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Flower(s) in May
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Fruit(s)
Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org
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Fruit(s) January. Photo from Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses by J.H. Miller and K.V. Miller, published by The University of Georgia Press in cooperation with the Southern Weed Science Society.
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
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Control Area after privet removed with gyro-trac
Scott Horn, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org
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Foliage May; in flower
James H. Miller & Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, Bugwood.org
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Seedling(s) September
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Infestation April
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Fruit(s) Far from choice wildlife food, but eventually winter-hungry birds will eat the fruit and spread the plant like cancer, wherever land is disturbed.
James R. Allison, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org
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Fruit(s)
Ronald F. Billings, Texas A&M Forest Service , Bugwood.org
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Foliage
Troy Evans, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Control Privet removal with gyro-trac
Scott Horn, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Seed(s)
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database , USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
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Distribution