Common Name: Japanese Privet
Scientific Name: Ligustrum japonicum
Order: Scrophulariales
Family: Oleaceae
Description Japanese privet’s leaves are simple, evergreen, and arranged in an opposite/sub-opposite configuration. It has ovate or oblong leaves with an entire or undulate margin and pinnate venation. The leaf blade length is usually less than 2 inches. The flower of this plant is showy and white, cream, or gray in color. Japanese privet has oval or round fruit less than ½ inch long with a fleshy covering. The fruit is blue, black, or purple in color.
Growth Habit Japanese privet can grow up to 8-12 feet in height with a spread of 15-25 feet. It has a dense crown with a symmetrical uniformity and vase, round, or spreading shape. This plant is usually multi-trunked with thorns and droopy branches. The trunk and branches are resistant to breakage. Japanese privet has a current year twig color of green or gray and a medium thickness. This plant grows quickly while young and slows as it ages.
Hardiness Zone(s) Japanese privet can grow in the USDA zones 7B through 10A. It is not native to the United States. Japanese privet naturally occurs in the Asia-Temperate zone of Eastern Asia which includes parts of Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Culture Japanese privet can grow in full sun, partial sun, or full shade. This plant can grow in clay, sand, and loamy soil. If grown in calcarious clay then, water should not be allowed to stand in its root zone. The soil should be slightly alkaline, acidic, and well drained. It has a moderate drought tolerance and a high aerosol salt tolerance. Japanese privet is tolerant of tight clipping but is most often grown to its natural form which is multi stemmed. This plant can be planted on 10-15 foot centers. If used as a hedge the top should be clipped narrower to the bottom to provide light to the lower branches and ensure fullness to the ground. Japanese privet is propagated either by seed or by cuttings.
Diseases & Insects Japanese privet is susceptible to verticillium wilting. This plant is resistant to most pests and diseases although thrips and mites can cause discoloration of its foliage. Serious plant decline can be caused by soil nematodes. This is particularly prevalent when Japanese privet is grown in sandy soil. Landscape Value Japanese privet is often grown around decks and patios or as a screen or hedge. It is also grown as a specimen. This plant can be used to provide shade over a pedestrian walkway, parking lot island, or sidewalks when grown in tree pits. A common practice is to plant low groundcover at the base of Japanese privet. When allowed to grow into a full tree Japanese privet has multiple curved trunks that provide an aesthetically pleasing architectural focus. The fruit of this plant does attract birds but the small berries generally are not a litter problem or landscape nuisance. Many cultivars of the Japanese privet is available such as the ‘Silver Star’ which has deep green leaves that are mottled with grey and has a creamy white edge or the ‘Texanum’ with its lower and denser growth. Another common cultivar is the ‘Lake Tresca’ which produces smaller leaves than the species and has lower branches that droop and form a mound.
References Gillman, E. F. and D. G. Watson. 2014. Ligustrum japonicum: Japanese Privet. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, EDIS. Online.
This document was authored by Adam McKithern, School of Forestry, Louisiana Tech University, April 2015.