Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Lamiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Ligustrum lucidum
FAMILY
Oleaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Glossy Privet at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ligustrum lucidum
FAMILY
Oleaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ligustrum lucidum
COMMON NAME:
Glossy Privet, Broadleaf Privet
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm250213_1980
February Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Leaves usually 6-13cm long; apex usually long-acuminate, per Weakley's Flora (2024).
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_2307086
June
Stem round in cross-section, light gray and relatively smooth w no fissures, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm160915_063
September Beaufort County SC
Green's Shell Enclosure Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm160915_065
September Beaufort County SC
Green's Shell Enclosure Heritage Preserve
Primary lateral veins translucent, (5)6-8 pr (vs. L. japonicum's 3-5 pr), per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm160915_066
September Beaufort County SC
Green's Shell Enclosure Heritage Preserve
Petioles 1-3cm, per Flora of China.
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_2307084
October
Branches brownish-gray with raised light dots (lenticels), per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_2307087
December
Conical, branched terminal clusters of ovoid drupes ripen to blue-black, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_1120553
Month Unknown
Loosely branching, terminal and upper axillary conical clusters of flowers, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org bug_5307089
Month Unknown
)
Karan A. Rawlins, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org bug_5408155
Month Unknown
)
Karan A. Rawlins, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org bug_5476278
Month Unknown GA
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Ligustrum lucidum
FAMILY
Oleaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ligustrum lucidum
FAMILY
Oleaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ligustrum lucidum
830
Shrub; Tree
Perennial
Habitat: Disturbed places, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: China, Japan & Korea
Uncommon
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council, 2012
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Forest Health Assessment & Applied Sciences Team: New Invaders of the Northeast
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- SC Native Plant Society
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
LEAVES:
Semi-evergreen
Simple
Opposite, or rarely alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
White/Cream
Radially symmetrical
4-merous
Synsepalous calyx, lobes obsolete or almost obsolete
4-lobed funnelform corolla
2 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
Inflorescence a many-flowered terminal panicle
FRUIT:
Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall
Blue-black
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p360
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p086
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p038
- New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral US (Rawlins et al., 2018) p069
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p120
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p096
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p192
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".