border privet
(Ligustrum obtusifolium)
This species is Introduced in the United States
Appearance
Ligustrum obtusifolium is a woody, perennial, semi-deciduous shrub that grows to 10 ft. (3 m) in height. It is many stemmed and has pubescent branchlets.
Foliage
Its opposite leaves are elliptic to oblong-ovate in shape and measure 1-2 in. (2.5-5 cm) long and 0.3-1 in. (0.75-2.5 cm) wide. The apex of the leaf can be either acute or obtuse in shape. The upper leaf surface is dark green in color, while the lower surface is pubescent, or only pubescent on the mid-rib.
Flowers
The white flowers of Ligustrum obtusifolium are unpleasantly scented and are borne in nodding panicles that measure 0.75-1.5 in. (2-2.5 cm) long. The flowers appear on the plant in June.
Fruit
The fruits are black or blue-black, somewhat glaucous drupes. They are subglobose in shape and measure 0.25 in. (6 mm) in length. Fruit appears on the plant in September and persists on the branches into the winter.
Ecological Threat
Like Ligustrum vulgare and L. sinense, this plant is capable of escaping to form dense thickets that can crowd out native species.
Resources
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service
Selected Images
Maps
EDDMapS Distribution - This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts, herbaria, and literature. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org
State Lists - This map identifies those states that have this species on their invasive species list or law.
Invasive Listing Sources
- City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 1994.
- Connecticut Invasive Plant List
- Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
- Delaware Invasive Species Council
- Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
- Indiana Terrestrial Plant Rule
- Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- Maine Invasive Plants
- Maryland Code and Regulations of Invasive Plants
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources Policy: Restriction on Planting Exotic Invasive Plants
- Maryland Invasive Species Council - Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
- Massachusetts Invasive Plants Advisory Group List
- Massachusetts Noxious Weeds
- Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List
- Missouri SRISP Species List
- National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
- New Hampshire Prohibited Invasive Species
- New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
- New York Regulated and Prohibited Invasive Species - Prohibited
- Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
- Pennsylvania Noxious Weeds
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas
- Reichard, Sarah. 1994. Assessing the potential of invasiveness in woody plants introduced in North America. University of Washington Ph.D. dissertation.
- Rhode Island Natural History Survey
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014
- West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999
Taxonomic Rank
| Domain: Eukarya |
| Kingdom: Plantae |
| Phylum: Magnoliophyta |
| Class: Magnoliopsida |
| Superorder: Asteranae |
| Order: Lamiales |
| Family: Oleaceae |
| Genus: Ligustrum |
| Ligustrum obtusifolium |
References
Common Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Scientific Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.