Small leaved privet
Ligustrum sinense
family
Oleaceae
origin
Exotic
declaration
Category 3 Restricted Matter (Biosecurity Act 2014)
Must not be distributed or disposed. This means it must not be released into the environment unless the distribution or disposal is authorised in a regulation or under a permit.
Common names
Small leaved privet, Chinese privet, Chinese liguster, Chinese ligustrum, Hedge privet, Ligustrum, Narrow-leaf privet, Narrowleaf privet, Small-leaf privet.
A shrub or small tree with hairy younger stems and leaves. Its relatively small leaves (2-7 cm long and 1-3 cm wide) are borne in pairs along the stems. Its small white flowers have four petals and are produced in small branched clusters (4-11 cm long) at the tips of the stems. Its small rounded or egg-shaped fruit (4-6 mm long) turn bluish-black in colour when mature.
Impact
Impact
Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) is regarded as a significant environmental weed in New South Wales and Queensland, and as an environmental weed or potential environmental weed in Victoria and the ACT. This species causes widespread and significant environmental damage, and was recently listed as a priority environmental weed in seven Natural Resource Management regions. It is of most concern in south-eastern Queensland, where it is ranked among the top 25 most invasive plant species, and in eastern New South Wales.Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) commonly invades gullies, creeklines, watercourses, forest gaps and the margins of rainforests in eastern Australia, and tends to grow in more fertile soils. It forms dense thickets and its densely branching growth habit enables it to shade out other plants. It also germinates and grows relatively well in shady sites, giving it the ability to outcompete or suppress native vegetation living in the understorey of forests. Its tenacious root system also reduces the availability of water and nutrients for competing native species, and when the roots or stems are damaged or cut they sucker prolifically. Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) will eventually come to dominate the shrub layer of an invaded habitat, thus altering species composition and natural community structure by choking out native plant species. This transformation alters the habitat available to native animals and stands of this weed may also grow sufficiently thick to hinder animal movement through bushland areas.Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) is also a major environmental weed in other parts of the world and has been listed in the Global Invasive Species Database. It displaces the shrub layer of forests and woodlands in New Zealand, Argentina and south-eastern USA and also invades river and stream floodplains, lake shores, and the edges of swamps and marshes in the USA. Its invasiveness already threatens the survival of endangered species in the USA, such as the Miccosukee gooseberry (Ribes echinellum).
Location
Location
Characteristics
Characteristics
Similar Species
Similar Species
Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) is regarded as a significant environmental weed in New South Wales and Queensland, and as an environmental weed or potential environmental weed in Victoria and the ACT. This species causes widespread and significant environmental damage, and was recently listed as a priority environmental weed in seven Natural Resource Management regions. It is of most concern in south-eastern Queensland, where it is ranked among the top 25 most invasive plant species, and in eastern New South Wales.Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) commonly invades gullies, creeklines, watercourses, forest gaps and the margins of rainforests in eastern Australia, and tends to grow in more fertile soils. It forms dense thickets and its densely branching growth habit enables it to shade out other plants. It also germinates and grows relatively well in shady sites, giving it the ability to outcompete or suppress native vegetation living in the understorey of forests. Its tenacious root system also reduces the availability of water and nutrients for competing native species, and when the roots or stems are damaged or cut they sucker prolifically. Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) will eventually come to dominate the shrub layer of an invaded habitat, thus altering species composition and natural community structure by choking out native plant species. This transformation alters the habitat available to native animals and stands of this weed may also grow sufficiently thick to hinder animal movement through bushland areas.Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) is also a major environmental weed in other parts of the world and has been listed in the Global Invasive Species Database. It displaces the shrub layer of forests and woodlands in New Zealand, Argentina and south-eastern USA and also invades river and stream floodplains, lake shores, and the edges of swamps and marshes in the USA. Its invasiveness already threatens the survival of endangered species in the USA, such as the Miccosukee gooseberry (Ribes echinellum).
