Ligustrum lucidum

Chinese privet, Chinese Privet

Family: Oleaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Chinese privet is a naturalized shrub found in coastal northern California, Sacramento Valley, southern coastal California, and San Bernardino Mountains in riparian zones at elevations below 1,100 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces white flowers in elongated clusters 10 to 20 centimeters long. Growing as a shrub or small tree up to 10 meters tall with multiple stems, it develops a dense branching structure. Its leaves are widely ovate, 6 to 10 centimeters long with petioles 10 to 20 millimeters, featuring bases that range from slightly pointed to rounded and tips that are sharply acute. The shrub develops distinctive flower clusters with corolla tubes approximately equal in length to their lobes, creating a delicate and intricate flowering appearance.

Habitat: Riparian zones

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: < 1100 m

Bioregions: NCo (Mendocino Co.), ScV, SCo, SnBr

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.