Chinese privet
Family
OleaceaeScientific Name
Ligustrum sinense
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Ligustrum villosum
Ligustrum microcarpum
Habit
Chinese privet is a small tree or shrub. It flowers in June and berries ripen in September. It often grows to be between 12 and 15 feet high (may grow to 30ft), and it often shades out plants beneath it.
Leaves
Leaves are entire and oval or elliptical. They are opposite in arrangement and are usually about 2 inches long. They often have fine hairs on their underside and on the veins.
Identifying Characteristics
Chinese privet is distinguished by fine hairs on the twigs and underside of leaves. These hairs and green color help distinguish this plant from Common Privet.
Flower Seed Head
Small, four-petaled, white flowers, often very dense, appear in clusters on the end of twigs in June. The flowers are very fragrant. The white flowers are arranged in clusters/panicles that branch out.
Seed Fruit
Chinese privet has small blue/purple, fleshy fruits, which resemble blueberries. It is about 1/4in diameter, and contains a hard seed. The fruit ripens around September
Where Found
Originally from China, Chinese privet is found throughout the mid-Atlantic, Southern, and Midwestern North America. It prefers low woods, bottomlands, stream sides, and disturbed areas.
Growth Habit
woody bush or tree
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
Varies:
pencil,
dime,
nickle
Dominant Flower Color
white
Flower Symmetry
radial symmetery
Leaf Hairs
has hairs
Leaf Shape
oval
Leaf Arrangement
opposite
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
has hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Root Structure
fibrous
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Shrub