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Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Ligustrum obtusifolium — border privet

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Facts

Border privet can be difficult to tell from other privets, but its foul-smelling white flowers are downy and the anthers are nearly as long as the petals (corolla tube). This densely-branching, fine-leaved shrub is highly adaptable to a range of growing conditions and has been widely used as an ornamental screen (hence its common name). However, it is regarded as potentially invasive.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, shrublands or thickets

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
Growth form
the plant is a shrub (a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
Leaf type
the leaf blade is simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
Leaves per node
there are two leaves per node along the stem
Leaf blade edges
the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
Leaf duration
the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
armature on plant
the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
Leaf blade length
8–60 mm
Leaf blade width
4–25 mm
Leaf stalk
the leaves have leaf stalks
Fruit type (general)
the fruit is fleshy
Bark texture
the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
Twig winter color
  • brown
  • gray
Bud scale number
there are two scales on the winter bud, and their edges meet
Show all characteristics

  • Buds or leaf scars

    Bud scale number
    there are two scales on the winter bud, and their edges meet
    Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
    NA
    Collateral buds
    there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
    Leaf scar arrangement
    there are two leaf scars per node on the stem or twig
    Superposed buds
    there are no superposed buds on the branch
    Winter bud stalks
    the winter buds have no stalks

  • Flowers

    Carpels fused
    the carpels are fused to one another
    Enlarged sterile flowers
    there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
    Flower petal color
    white
    Flower symmetry
    there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
    Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
    NA
    Hypanthium present
    the flower does not have a hypanthium
    Inflorescence hairs
    there are no hairs on the inflorescence
    Inflorescence position
    • the inflorescences grow on older branches
    • the inflorescences grow on the twigs
    Inflorescence type
    the inflorescence is a panicle (branched with the individual flowers on stalks)
    Number of pistils
    1
    Ovary position
    the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
    Petal and sepal arrangement
    the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
    Petal appearance
    the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
    Petal fusion
    the perianth parts are fused to form a tube, cup, or bell shape
    Sepal appearance
    the sepals resemble leaves in color and texture
    Sepal cilia (Ilex)
    NA
    Sepal tip glands
    there are no glands at the tips of the sepal lobes
    Sepals fused only to sepals
    the sepals are fused to each other (not other flower parts), at least near their bases
    Stamen number
    1 or 2
    Stamen position relative to petals
    NA

  • Fruits or seeds

    Berry color
    • NA
    • black
    Fruit type (general)
    the fruit is fleshy
    Fruit type (specific)
    the fruit is a drupe (fleshy, with a firm inner ovary wall that encloses a single seed)
    Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
    NA
    Wings on fruit
    there are no wings on the fruit

  • Glands or sap

    Sap color
    the sap is clear and watery
    Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
    NA

  • Growth form

    Growth form
    the plant is a shrub (a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)

  • Leaves

    Hairs on underside of leaf blade
    • the underside of the leaf has hairs on it
    • the underside of the leaf has no hairs
    Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
    • the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
    • the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
    Leaf blade base shape
    • the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
    • the base of the leaf blade is rounded
    Leaf blade base symmetry
    the leaf blade base is symmetrical
    Leaf blade bloom
    the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
    Leaf blade edges
    the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
    Leaf blade edges (Acer)
    NA
    Leaf blade flatness
    the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
    Leaf blade hairs
    the hairs on the leaf blade are different from the choices given
    Leaf blade length
    8–60 mm
    Leaf blade scales
    there are no scales on the leaf blades
    Leaf blade shape
    the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
    Leaf blade texture
    • the leaf blade is coriaceous (has a firm, leathery texture)
    • the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
    Leaf blade translucent dots
    there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
    Leaf blade vein pattern
    the main veins of the leaf blade are pinnate (the secondary veins branch off at intervals from the main central vein) and non-arcuate (not arched towards the leaf tip)
    Leaf blade veins
    the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base toward the tip
    Leaf blade width
    4–25 mm
    Leaf duration
    the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
    Leaf form
    the plant is broad-leaved (with broadly flattened leaf blades)
    Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
    NA
    Leaf midrib glands
    the midrib of the leaf blade lacks glands on the upper surface
    Leaf stalk
    the leaves have leaf stalks
    Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
    the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
    Leaf stalk nectaries
    there are no nectaries on the leaf stalk
    Leaf teeth
    the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
    Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
    NA
    Leaf type
    the leaf blade is simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
    Leaves per node
    there are two leaves per node along the stem
    Specific leaf type
    the leaves are simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
    Stipules
    there are no stipules on the plant, or they fall off as the leaf expands

  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • edges of forests
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • shrublands or thickets

  • Scent

    Plant odor
    the plant does not have much of an odor, or it has an unpleasant or repellant odor

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Aerial roots
    the plant has no aerial roots
    Bark texture
    the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
    Branch brittleness (willows only)
    NA
    Branch cross-section
    the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
    First-year cane (Rubus)
    NA
    Lenticels on twigs
    there are clearly lenticels on the twigs
    Pith shape
    the outline of the pith in a twig is roughly round
    Pith type
    the pith inside the twig is solid, completely filled with spongy tissue
    Short shoots
    there are no peg- or knob-like shoots present
    Twig bloom
    there is no bloom on the twig
    Twig hairs
    the twigs have hairs, but the hairs do not have glands
    Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
    NA
    Twig scales
    there are no scales on the twig surface
    Twig winter color
    • brown
    • gray
    Wings on branch
    the branch does not have wings on it
    armature on plant
    the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns

Wetland status

Not classified

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present, invasive, prohibited
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present, invasive, prohibited
Rhode Island
present
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)

Subspecies and varieties

Ligustrum obtusifolium Sieb. & Zucc. var. obtusifolium is known from CT, MA, NH, RI, VT. L. obtusifolium var. suave (Kitagawa) H. Hara is known from MA, ME.

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

1.  Ligustrum obtusifolium Sieb. & Zucc. E

border privet.  1a. Ligustrum obtusifolium Sieb. & Zucc. var. leiocalyx (Nakai) H. Hara;  
1b. Ligustrum amurense Carr.; L. ibota Sieb. & Zucc. var. suave Kitagawa; L. obtusifolium Sieb. & Zucc. ssp. suave (Kitagawa) Kitagawa • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Roadsides, forest edges and fragments, areas of habitation.

1a.  Leaf blades usually sparsely pubescent abaxially; calyx and pedicels densely to moderately pubescent (varying rarely to sparsely pubescent or nearly glabrous) [Fig. 735]; basal, connate portion of corolla 2–3 times as long as the lobes; lateral winter buds with acute to obtuse scales … 1a. L. obtusifolium var. obtusifolium

1b.  Leaf blades usually glabrous abaxially; calyx and pedicels glabrous to sparsely pubescent; basal, connate portion of corolla 1.5–2 times as long as the lobes; lateral winter buds with acuminate scales … 1b. L. obtusifolium var. suave (Kitagawa) H. Hara

Variety obtusifolium is known from CT, MA, NH, RI, VT. Variety suave is known from MA, ME. The collection from ME— Wise & Hodgdon 517 ( NHA!)—is atypical in its pubescent leaf blades (but otherwise appears to be a good fit for the taxon). Variety suave is usually treated at the species level as Ligustrum amurense; however, Nesom (2009a) outlines rationale for recognizing this taxon as a variety.

Native to North America?

No

Sometimes confused with

Ligustrum vulgare:
basal tubular portion of the petals 2.5-3 mm long, approximately as long as the petal lobes, and branchlets minutely and uniformly hairy (vs. L. obtusifolium, with the basal tubular portion of the petals 5-8 mm long, 1.5-3 times as long as the petal lobes, and branchlets hairy with hairs of different lengths).

Family

Oleaceae

Genus

Ligustrum