Oleaceae

Ligustrum sinense

Common Names: Privet - narrow-leaf

Plant Form: Large shrub or small tree. Size: Up to 5 m tall. Stem: Hairy, rounded and greenish when young, turning greyish-brown and losing hairs with maturity. Leaves: Oval shaped, oppositely arranged along stems, with smooth or wavy edges. Covered in fine hairs underneath, and with pointed tips. Flowers: White or cream with 4 petals fused together into very short tube, in dense clusters at tips of branches. Fruit and Seeds: Small round or egg-shaped berry like with hard centre. Green to black with maturity. Habitat: Rainforest, urban bushland, waste areas, old gardens. Distinguishing Features: Smaller, more hairy leaves than Broad-leaved privet (Ligustrum lucidum) and keeps its leaves over winter unlike Common privet (L. vulgare). Impacts: Replaces native vegetation, forms dense thickets, blocks waterways, toxic to animals and humans, flowers can cause allergic reactions.

Fresh and spent flowers

Leaves often in rows

Flowers

Leaf

Berries