''Ligustrum vulgare'' (wild privet, also sometimes known as common privet or European privet) is a species of ''

Ligustrum A privet is a flowering plant in the genus ''Ligustrum''. The genus contains about 50 species of erect, deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes forming small or medium-sized trees, native to Europe, north Africa, Asia, many introduced and nat ...

'' native to central and southern Europe, north Africa and southwestern Asia, from Ireland and southwestern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

south to Morocco, and east to Poland and northwestern Iran.Flora Europaea
''Ligustrum vulgare''
/ref>Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. Bean, W. J. (1978). ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles'' vol. 2: 576–577. .

Description

It is a semi-evergreen or deciduous

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

, growing to 3 m (rarely up to 5 m) tall. The stems are stiff, erect, with grey-brown

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

spotted with small brown

lenticel A lenticel is a porous tissue consisting of cells with large intercellular spaces in the periderm of the secondarily thickened organs and the bark of woody stems and roots of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It functions as a pore, providing a ...

s. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are borne in decussate opposite pairs, sub-shiny green, narrow oval to lanceolate, 2–6 cm long and 0.5–1.5 cm broad. The flowers are produced in mid-summer in

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s 3–6 cm long, each flower creamy-white, with a tubular base and a four-lobed

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name * Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...

('petals') 4–6 mm diameter. The flowers produce a strong, pungent fragrance that many people find unpleasant. The fruit is a small glossy black

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

6–8 mm diameter, containing one to four seeds. The berries are

poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

ous to humans but readily eaten by thrushes, which disperse the seeds in their droppings.Flora of Northwest Europe
''Ligustrum vulgare''
/ref> Plants from the warmer parts of the range show a stronger tendency to be fully evergreen; these have sometimes been treated as a separate variety ''Ligustrum vulgare'' var. ''italicum'' (Mill.) Vahl, but others do not regard it as distinct.

Cultivation and uses

In the British Isles it is the only

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

privet, common in

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoini ...

rows and woodlands in southern England and Wales, especially in chalk areas; it is less common in northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, where it only occurs as an escapee from cultivation.The Reader's Digest Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Britain ''p. 52''.Flora of Northern Ireland
''Ligustrum vulgare''
/ref> The species was used for hedging in Elizabethan gardens in England, but was superseded by the more reliably evergreen introduction '' L. ovalifolium'' from Japan. A number of cultivars have been selected, including: *'Aureum' – yellow leaves. *'Buxifolium' – small, oval leaves not over 2.5 cm long. *'Cheyenne' – cold-tolerant clone selected in North America. *'Chlorocarpum' - berries green. *'Insulense' – long, narrow leaves 5–11 cm long and 1-2.5 cm broad. *'Leucocarpum' – berries greenish-white. *'Lodense' – dense, dwarf shrub (the name is a portmanteau of 'low' and 'dense'). *'Pyramidale' – fastigiate. *'Xanthocarpum' – berries yellow.

Invasiveness

The species is listed as

invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

as an introduced plant in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. It is also fully naturalised in Mexico's highlands and Argentina.

Etymology

''Ligustrum'' means 'binder'. It was named by Pliny and Virgil.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). p 237

Gallery

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References