Ligustrum ovalifolium
Encyclopedia
Ligustrum ovalifolium, also known as Oval-Leaved Privet, is a semi-evergreen shrub
used extensively for hedging, and sometimes for other garden uses. The species comes from Japan
. It is sometimes known as Japanese privet, but is not to be confused with Ligustrum japonicum which may also be called by this common name.
The flower
s are small and fragrant and borne in panicles
. They have four curled-back petals and two high stamens with yellow or red anthers, between which is the low pistil; the petals and stamens fall off after the flower is fertilized, leaving the pistil in the calyx tube. Flowering starts after 330 growing degree day
s. The fruits, borne in clusters, are small purple to black drupes, poisonous for humans but readily eaten by many birds. In favorable growing conditions, individual shrubs may produce thousands of fruits.
Several cultivars are used in gardens and for hedging, including the Golden Privet.
Privet is used as a food plant by the larva
e of some Lepidoptera
species including Common Emerald
, Common Marbled Carpet
, Copper Underwing
, The Engrailed
, Mottled Beauty
, Scalloped Hazel
, Small Angle Shades
, The V-pug
and Willow Beauty
.
L. ovalifolium has been listed as an invasive species
in parts of the United States.
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
used extensively for hedging, and sometimes for other garden uses. The species comes from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is sometimes known as Japanese privet, but is not to be confused with Ligustrum japonicum which may also be called by this common name.
The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are small and fragrant and borne in panicles
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
. They have four curled-back petals and two high stamens with yellow or red anthers, between which is the low pistil; the petals and stamens fall off after the flower is fertilized, leaving the pistil in the calyx tube. Flowering starts after 330 growing degree day
Growing degree day
Growing degree days , also called growing degree units , are a heuristic tool in phenology. GDD are a measure of heat accumulation used by horticulturists, gardeners, and farmers to predict plant and pest development rates such as the date that a flower will bloom or a crop reach...
s. The fruits, borne in clusters, are small purple to black drupes, poisonous for humans but readily eaten by many birds. In favorable growing conditions, individual shrubs may produce thousands of fruits.
Several cultivars are used in gardens and for hedging, including the Golden Privet.
Privet is used as a food plant by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Common Emerald
Common Emerald
The Common Emerald is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found throughout the Nearctic and Palearctic regions and the Near East. In the British Isles it is not found in Scotland but is a common species elsewhere...
, Common Marbled Carpet
Common Marbled Carpet
The Common Marbled Carpet is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is sometimes placed in the genus Dysstroma. It is very common throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East....
, Copper Underwing
Copper Underwing
The Copper Underwing, Humped Green Fruitworm or Pyramidal Green Fruitworm is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed across the Palaearctic region....
, The Engrailed
Engrailed
The Engrailed and Small Engrailed are moths of the family Geometridae. They are distributed across most of Europe. There is an on-going debate as to whether they make up one species, or whether E. crepuscularia actually refers only to the Small Engrailed, with the Engrailed proper being separable...
, Mottled Beauty
Mottled Beauty
The Mottled Beauty is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species of Europe and the Near East.The wingspan is 32-40 mm. This is an extremely variable species, typically being buff or grey with black bars along the costa, but often with a broad blackish band across the forewings....
, Scalloped Hazel
Scalloped Hazel
The Scalloped Hazel is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species of northern and central Europe including the British Isles....
, Small Angle Shades
Small Angle Shades
The small angle shades is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.As the common name suggests, this species is closely related to the angle shades , and is considerably smaller , but does not especially resemble that species...
, The V-pug
V-Pug
The V-Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa. It is well distributed in the British Isles except for the north of Scotland....
and Willow Beauty
Willow Beauty
| image = Peribatodes.rhomboidaria.7197.jpg| image_width = 240px| image_caption = Adult male from Dresden | regnum = Animalia| phylum = Arthropoda| classis = Insecta| ordo = Lepidoptera| zoodivisio = Ditrysia| familia = Geometridae...
.
L. ovalifolium has been listed as an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
in parts of the United States.