Ligustrum vulgare L.
common privet (European privet)
Oleaceae (Olive family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
common privet (European privet)
Oleaceae (Olive family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Deciduous shrub up to 5 m tall; branches many, grey-barked, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
Leaves:
Opposite, persistent, firm, dark-green, oblong to egg-shaped, 3-6 cm long, short-stalked, entire.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of small, bell-shaped flowers in dense terminal panicles 3-6 cm long; corollas white or pale-purple, the tubes 2.5-3 mm long, about equal to the lobes.
Fruits:
Drupes, 2-lobed, 1-2 seeded, black and hard.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Mid Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Black
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA