Chinese privet
(Ligustrum sinense)
This species is Introduced in the United States
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 the 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.
Citations
Rawlins, K.A., R.L. Winston, C.T. Bargeron, D.J. Moorhead, and R. Carroll. 2018. New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral United States. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. FHTET-2017-04. Retrieved from https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/FHTET-2017-04_New%20Invaders_NE.pdf
Resources
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service
- Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual - SE-EPPC
- Images, Video and Information - University of Florida - Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
- Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
- Fire Effects Information System - USDA Forest Service
- Invasive Species Management Plans for Florida - University of Florida - Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife 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
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council
- Alachua County Cogongrass Initiative
- Apalachicola Invasive Working Group
- Delaware Invasive Species Council
- Florida Invasive Plant Council - Plant List - Category I
- Florida Noxious Weeds
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council - Category 1
- Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
- Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
- Invasive Species of Concern in Georgia
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- Jil Swearingen, personal communication, 2009-2017
- John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Severe Threat
- Maryland Department of Agriculture's Candidates for Listing of Invasive Plants
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources Policy: Restriction on Planting Exotic Invasive Plants
- Missouri SRISP Species List
- National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
- National Park Service, National Capital Region Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
- New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral
- Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
- Non-Native Invasive Plants of the City of Alexandria, Virginia
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program Tracked Species List
- 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.
- South Carolina Invasive Pest Council
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council
- Tennessee Noxious Weeds
- Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- 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 sinense |
Synonyms and Other Names
Other Common Names:
common chinese privet, common privet
Related Scientific Names:
Ligustrum microcarpum Lour. (Synonym)
Ligustrum villosum Lour. (Synonym)
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.