Japanese/Glossy Privet (Ligustrum japonicum, Ligustrum lucidum)

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Plantae
Phylum	Magnoliophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida
Superorder	Asteranae
Order	Lamiales
Family	Oleaceae
Genus	Ligustrum

Scientific Name

Ligustrum lucidum

Common Name

glossy privet

Miller, J.H., E.B, Chambliss, N.J. Loewenstein. 2010. A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests. General Technical Report SRS-119. Asheville, NC. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 126 p.

Plant

Opposite, thick-leaved evergreens to 20 feet (6 m) in height for Japanese privet and 35 feet (10 m) in height for glossy privet, with spreading crowns, conical clusters of white flowers in spring, and green to purple-black fruit in summer to following spring.

Stem

Twigs hairless and pale green becoming brownish to reddish tinged. Branches opposite and brownish gray with many raised corky dots (lenticels). Bark light gray and smooth except for scattered horizontal, discontinuous ridges.

Leaves

Opposite, leathery, ovate to oblong, bases rounded and tips blunt or tapering, often with a tiny sharp tip. Two to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) long and 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) wide. Margins entire and often yellowish rimmed, turned upward with glossy privet and slightly rolled under with Japanese privet. Upper blades lustrous dark green with 6 to 8 pairs of light-green veins with glossy privet and 4 to 6 pairs of indistinct veins that protrude slightly from light green lower surfaces with Japanese privet. Petioles 0.4 to 0.8 inch (1 to 2 cm) long and often reddish tinged for glossy privet and 0.2 to 0.4 inch (6 to 12 mm) long and light green for Japanese privet.

Flowers

April to June. Loosely branching, terminal- and upper-axillary, conical clusters of many small white 4-petaled flowers. Fragrant.

Fruit and seeds

July to February. Conical-shaped, branched terminal clusters of ovoid drupes, each 0.2 to 0.5 inch (5 to 12 mm) long and 0.2 inch (5 mm) wide. Pale green in summer ripening to blue black in winter.

Ecology

Single plants or thicket-forming, occurring in the same habitats as Chinese privet, but generally not as abundant, depending upon location. Invade both lowland and upland habitats, but usually more prevalent in lowlands. Shade tolerant. Colonize by root sprouts and spread by abundant bird- and animal-dispersed seeds.

Resembles

Resembles Chinese privet (L. sinense Lour.), which has smaller and thinner leaves and is further described in this book. Also resembles red tip or photinia (Photinia spp.). and Carolina laurel cherry (Prunus caroliniana Ait.), which have similar evergreen, but alternate, leaves with finely toothed margins.

History and use

Introduced from Japan and Korea in 1845 and 1794, respectively. Widely planted as ornamentals and escaped.

Distribution

Found in dense infestations and as scattered escaped plants throughout the region.

Management strategies

Do not plant. Remove prior plantings, and control sprouts and seedlings. Bag and dispose of fruit in a dumpster or burn.
Treat when new plants are young to prevent seed formation.
Cut, mulch, and bulldoze when fruit are not present.
Minimize disturbance within miles of where these plants occur, and anticipate wider occupation if plants are present before disturbance.
Manually pull and tree wrench when soil is moist, ensuring removal of all roots.
These species burn hot to topkill small to medium-sized stems.
Readily eaten by goats and sheep.

Recommended control procedures

For large stems, make stem injections in dilutions and cut-spacings specified on the herbicide label using Arsenal AC*, or when safety to surrounding vegetation is desired, Garlon 3A or a glyphosate herbicide (anytime except March and April). An EZ-Ject tree injector can help to reach the lower part of the main stem; otherwise, every branching trunk must be hack-and-squirt injected.
Thoroughly wet all leaves with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant: Arsenal AC* as a 1-percent solution (4 ounces per 3-gallon mix); or when safety to surrounding vegetation is desired, Garlon 4 as a 3-percent solution (12 ounces per 3-gallon mix) or a glyphosate herbicide as a 3-percent solution (12 ounces per 3-gallon mix). The best time for applications is when new growth appears, while other times have not been tested.
For stems too tall for foliar sprays, apply basal sprays in a labeled basal oil product, vegetable oil or mineral oil with a penetrant, or fuel oil or diesel fuel (where permitted); when safety to surrounding vegetation is desired, Garlon 4 as a 20-percent solution (5 pints per 3-gallon mix) or undiluted Pathfinder II. Elsewhere, apply Stalker* as a 6- to 9-percent solution (1.5 to 2 pints per 3-gallon mix) in a labeled basal oil product, vegetable oil or mineral oil with a penetrant, or where permitted, fuel oil or diesel fuel (January to February or May to October).
Cut large stems and immediately treat the stump tops with Arsenal AC* as a 5-percent solution (20 ounces per 3-gallon mix) or Velpar L* as a 10-percent solution (1 quart per 3-gallon mix) in water with a surfactant. When safety to surrounding vegetation is desired, immediately treat cut stems and stump tops with a glyphosate herbicide or Garlon 3A as a 20-percent solution in water (5 pints per 3-gallon mix) with a surfactant. ORTHO Brush-B-Gon, Enforcer Brush Killer, and Vine-X are effective undiluted for treating cut-stumps and available in retail garden stores (safe to surrounding plants).

* Nontarget plants may be killed or injured by root uptake.

Images

Glossy Privet: June	Glossy Privet: October	Glossy Privet: June	Japanese Privet: July
Glossy Privet: June	Glossy Privet: December

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