Ligustrum sinense - Chinese Privet
Karen Patterson
Higher Taxa of Ligustrum sinense:

Class: Angiosperms
Order: Loganiales
Family: Oleaceae
Subfamily: Oleoideae
Genus: Ligustrum

Ligustrum sinense is an invasive exotic evergreen or deciduous shrub. This shrub has small and dense branches, with oval, simple, pale green leaves (The American Horticulture Society, 1989). It is a flowering shrub in July with white flowers that give off a rather unpleasant scent (Gault, 1976). In the winter months they have dark purple fruits (Gault, 1976). The authority who described this species is Joao de Loureiro (The New Royal Horticulture Society Dictionary of Gardening, 1992). The species was described in Flora cochinesis on April 22 of 1791 (Stafleu, 1981). The collections of Lour. was only partly preserved. The main part which is still in good condition is at the Herbarium and Natural HIstory Museum in London (Stafleu, 1981). Small parts of the specimens are at the Herbarium and Natural History Museum in Paris, France and some are at the Herbarium Linnean Society of London (Stafleu, 1981).

Ligustrum sinense

AREA STATUS REFERENCES
North America:
Continental United States; Canada
No information, probably no Karen Patterson
Eastern North America:
United States east of Mississippi;
Ontario and eastern Canada
No information, but probably noKaren Patterson
Southeastern United States:
AL AR DE DC FL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV
YesFoote, 1989
Southern Appalachian States:
AL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV
YesFoote, 1989
Coastal PlainWidespreadRadford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968;
Foote, 1989
PiedmontWidespreadRadford, Ahles & Bell, 1968;
Foote, 1989
Blue Ridge MountainsMarginalRadford, Ahles & Bell, 1968
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
No information, but probably noKaren Patterson
Ridge and ValleyNo information, but probably yes Karen Patterson
Cumberland PlateauNo information, but probably yesKaren Patterson
Central Arch?
GeorgiaYesFoote, 1989
Clarke County, GeorgiaYesUGA Herbarium Specimens
Sams FarmCommonKaren Patterson, Pers. Ob.
Old Field
YesKaren Patterson, Pers. Ob.
Wetland
?-
Woods
YesKaren Patterson, Pers. Ob.
1-Hectare Plot
CommonKaren Patterson, Pers. Ob.




Natural History: L. sinense was first introduced in China in 1852 (Gault, 1976). It is a fast growing shrub that has escaped cultivation, and is now one of the most common invasive volunteer plants in the United States (Odenwald, 1996). There are few soils and areas where this privet cannot grow, making land left unattended very suseptable to enormous amounts of growth of this species (Odenwald, 1996).


How to Encounter: The Ligustrum sinense can be seen in various places at Sam's Farm. In the uplands, or woods area this species can be found in quadrat 10. In the quadrats next to the river, L. sinense can be found in all 10 of the quadrats.


References:

The American Horticulture Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York. 1989.

Clewell, Andre F. Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Florida Panhandle. Florida State University Press. Tallahassee, Fl. 1985.

Foote, Leonard E. Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast. Timber Press. Portland, Oregon. 1989.

Gault, Millar S. The Color Dictionary of Shrubs. Crown Publishers, INC. New York. 1976.

Hay, Roy and Patrick Synge. The Color Dictionary of Flowers and Plants for Home and Garden. Crown Publishers INC. New York.1969.

Hillier, Harold. The Hillier Colour Dictionary of Trees and Shrubs. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. New York.1982.

Index Kewensis. Volume 2. The Clarendon Press. Oxford, England. 1960.

Lawrence, George. Taxonomy of Vascular Plants. The Macmillan Company. New York. 1951.

Odenwald, Neil G. Plants for American Landscapes. Louisiana State University Press. Baton Rouge. 1996.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Trees of the World. Oxford University Press. Oxford, England. 1981.

Radford, Ahles, and Bell. Manual of the Vascular Floras of the Carolinas. University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, N.C. 1968.

Stafleu, F.A. and Cowen R.S. Taxonomic Literature. Second Edition. Volume III. Bohn, Scheltema, and Holkema, Utrecht dr. W. Junk b.v., Publishers. Boston, MA. 1981.

Vines, Robert A. Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southwest. University of Texas Press. Austin, TX. 1960.

Wright, Michael. The Complete Handbook of Garden Plants. The Rainbird Publishing Group Limited. New York. 1984.