| Chinese privet | USDA PLANTS Symbol: LISI U.S. Nativity: Exotic Habit: Shrub or Subshrub Hardwood Trees |
| Ligustrum sinense Lour. |
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Taxonomic Rank: Magnoliopsida: Scrophulariales: Oleaceae |
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| Synonym(s): common chinese privet, common privet | |
| Native Range: China (REHD, BAIL); | |
Chinese privet 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. Leaves are opposite, oval, pubescent on the underside of the midvein and less than 2 in. (5 cm) long. Flowering occurs in late spring, when small, white flowers develop at the end of branches in 2-3 in. (5-7.6 cm) long clusters. Fruit are oval, fleshy, less than 0.5 in. (1.3 cm) long, ripen to a dark purple to black color and persist into winter. Several privet species occur and they are often hard to distinguish. Chinese privet commonly forms dense thickets in fields or in the understory of forests. It shades and out-competes many species and, once established, is very difficult to remove. Chinese privet was introduced into the United States in the early 1852 as an ornamental. |
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Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources
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| Selected Images from Invasive.org | View All Images at Invasive.org |
 Seedling(s); September James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Foliage; Troy Evans, Eastern Kentucky University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Foliage; May; in flower Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); in May James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Fruit(s); Ronald F. Billings, Texas Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Fruit(s); Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 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 Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 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 Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Fruit(s); January James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; April James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Griffin, GA Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; David J. Moorhead, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Control; Privet removal with gyro-trac Scott Horn, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Control; Area after privet removed with gyro-trac Scott Horn, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Diagram or Graphic; USDA PLANTS Database, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
| EDDMapS Distribution: This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org |
 State(s) Where Reported invasive. Based on state level agency and organization lists of invasive plants from WeedUS database. |
| Native Alternatives: | |
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Agarista populifolia (Florida hobblebush) Arctostaphylos columbiana (hairy manzanita) Arctostaphylos patula (greenleaf manzanita) Ceanothus velutinus (snowbrush ceanothus) Forestiera acuminata (eastern swampprivet) Forestiera pubescens var. pubescens (stretchberry) Illicium floridanum (Florida anisetree) Ilex glabra (inkberry) Lindera benzoin (northern spicebush) Lithocarpus densiflorus (tanoak) Morella californica (California wax myrtle) Morella cerifera (wax myrtle) Osmanthus americanus (devilwood) Photinia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) Photinia pyrifolia (red chokeberry) Prunus caroliniana (Carolina laurelcherry) Viburnum prunifolium (blackhaw) |  More Information on Native Plants at: www.beplantwise.org PlantWise is a partnership between the National Park Service, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, The Garden Club of America and The National Invasive Species Council to prevent harmful invasive plants from invading natural areas. |
| U.S. National Parks where reported invasive: |
| Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina) Colonial National Historical Park (Virginia) Stones River National Battlefield (Tennessee) Vicksburg National Military Park (Mississippi) |
