Ligustrum japonicum Thunb., Oleaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, Score: 6 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Ligustrum coriaceum Carrière

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Japanese privet, Japanese wax-leaf privet, wax-leaf privet

Spanish: ligustrino

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Evergreen shrub 10-15 feet tall, usually glabrous.  Leaf petioles 0.2-0.4 inches long; blades elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 1.25-3.25 inches long, 0.6-2 inches wide, ±leathery, base acute or slightly rounded, apex ±obtuse, veins indistinct, inflorescence ±openly pyramid-shaped, 2-6 inches tall, glabrous or minutely hairy when young.  Flowers creamy white, fragrant; calyx tiny, cup-shaped, entire; corolla tube longer than lobes, anthers projecting; ovary rounded, style 0.15 inches long.  Fruit ellipsoid, 0.28-0.3 inches long, blue-black"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 441).

Habitat/ecology:  Privets are extremely aggressive and can form dense, impenetrable thickets that crowd out desirable plants. They are prolific seed producers.  "Japanese privet is a tough, hardy shrub that thrives with little care.  Ideal conditions include a fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-6.5, ample water, and full sun, but it grows well even in coral sand with a pH as high as 8.0 and has good tolerance for salt spray and partial shade"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 442).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Southern Japan, southern Korea, the Ryukyu Islands, Hong Kong, Guangdong Province in China and Taiwan"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 441).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 209)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1990) (voucher ID: BISH 588893) Taxon name on voucher: Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1934) (voucher ID: BISH 669066) Taxon name on voucher: Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 441) Guangdong Province
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Control:  Information on control of Ligustrum spp. from the Bugwood Wiki.

Additional information:
Report (PDF format) from US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station, Hawaii "Plants of Hawaii".
Information on Ligustrum japonicum from the publication "Nonnative invasive plants of Southern forests: A field guide for identification and control".
Information from the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual.
Information on Ligustrum spp. from the Bugwood Wiki.

Additional online information about Ligustrum japonicum is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Ligustrum japonicum as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Ligustrum japonicum may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1934. Voucher specimen #BISH669066(Grant, M.L. 7549).

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1990. Voucher specimen #BISH588893(Flynn, T. 3775).

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.