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Federal Noxious WeedTDA Noxious WeedTPWD Prohibited Exotic Species 
Invasive Plant Atlas of the USLigustrum vulgare
European privet
Synonym(s):
Family: Oleaceae (Olive Family)
Duration and Habit: Perennial Shrub
Photographer: Lynne Weber
Source: Invaders of Texas Program
Description
European privet is a deciduous shrub that grows up to 15 ft. (4.8 m) in height. The trunks usually occur as multiple stems with many long, leafy branches. 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. Flowering occurs in June, when white flowers develop at the end of branches in 1-3 in. (2.5-7.6 cm) long clusters. Fruits are spherical, 1/3 in. (8.5 mm) long, ripen to a dark purple to black color and persist into winter. Several privet species occur and they are often hard to distinguish.
Ecological Threat: Aggressive and troublesome invasives, often forming dense thickets, particularly in bottom-land forests and along fencerows, thus gaining access to forests, fields, and right-of-ways.
Biology & Spread: Colonize by root sprouts and spread widely by abundant bird- and other animal-dispersed seeds
History: Introduced from Europe in the early to mid-1800s. Traditional southern ornamentals.
US Habitat: Aggressive and troublesome invasives, often forming dense thickets, particularly in bottom-land forests and along fencerows, thus gaining access to forests, fields, and right-of-ways. Shade tolerant. Colonize by root sprouts and spread widely by abundant bird- and other animal-dispersed seeds.
Distribution
US Nativity: Introduced to U.S.
Native Origin: Europe, N. Africa (Alfred Rehder, Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs: Hardy in North America, The MacMillan Co., New York (1967)); Medit. reg (Bailey, L.H. and E.Z. Bailey, Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada, MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., New York , (1977).); NatureServe Explorer
US States: AL, AR, CT, DE, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV
Mapping
Invaders of Texas Map: Ligustrum vulgare
EDDMapS: Ligustrum vulgare
USDA Plants Texas County Map: Ligustrum vulgare
Invaders of Texas Observations
List All Observations of Ligustrum vulgare reported by Citizen Scientists
Resembles/Alternatives
- Morella cerifera (wax myrtle)
- Ilex vomitoria (yaupon)
- Prunus caroliniana (Carolina laurelcherry)
- Rhus virens (evergreen sumac)
- Leucophyllum frutescens (Texas barometer bush)
- Malpighia glabra (wild crapemyrtle)
Management
Thoroughly wet all leaves with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant (August to December): a glyphosate herbicide as a 3-percent solution (12 ounces per 3-gallon mix) or Arsenal AC* as a 1-percent solution (4 ounces per 3-gallon mix).
For stems too tall for foliar sprays, apply Garlon 4 as a 20-percent solution in commercially available basal oil, diesel fuel, or kerosene (2.5 quarts per 3-gallon mix) with a penetrant (check with herbicide distributor) to young bark as a basal spray. Or, cut large stems and immediately treat the stumps with Arsenal AC* or Velpar L* as a 10-percent solution in water (1 quart per 3-gallon mix) with a surfactant. When safety to surrounding vegetation is desired, immediately treat stumps and cut stems with Garlon 3A or a glyphosate herbicide as a 20-percent solution in water (2.5 quarts per 3-gallon mix) with a surfactant
Online References
Google Search: Ligustrum vulgare
Google Images: Ligustrum vulgare
NatureServe Explorer: Ligustrum vulgare
USDA Plants: Ligustrum vulgare
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States: Ligustrum vulgare
Bugwood Network Images: Ligustrum vulgare
Text References
Miller, James H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 p
Data Source
