Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

border privet Oleaceae Ligustrum obtusifolium Siebold & Zucc. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet play symbol: LIOB
Leaf: Opposite, tardily deciduous to nearly evergreen, simple, oblong, 1 to 2 inches long, entire margins, slightly thickened, both tip and base rounded or blunt, dark green above and lighter below.
Flower: Short panicles of white flowers (less than 1 1/2 inches), often very dense, very fragrant, appearing late spring at ends of twigs; individual flowers with tubes longer than the 4 petal lobes.
Fruit: Shiny, blue-black berry with a white waxy bloom, smaller than 1/4 inch in diameter, ripens in fall and persisting.
Twig: Slender, grayish green, pubescent, small opposite buds.
Bark: Smooth, grayish brown, many light colored, short horizontal lenticels.
Form: Upright shrub to 12 feet with equal spread, usually with many stems, can be somewhat twiggy.
 Looks like: Amur privet - Japanese privet - Chinese privet - common privet

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Additional Range Information: Ligustrum obtusifolium is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information