How do you recognise Wild privet (Ligustrum vulgare)?

Leaf

Hladac, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wild privet

Ligustrum vulgare L.

Also known as: Common privet

Family: Oleaceae

2 to 4 m tall

Hedges, woodland edges, often planted as a clipped hedge

Flowering: May – June

Full sun

Part shade

Very hardy, to -29°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Almost evergreen leaves that stay green late into winter — handy for identifying it out of season. Garden privet keeps glossy, well-green foliage almost all year (or golden in 'Aureum'), and rarely loses all its leaves in winter, whereas wild privet, a native, has duller, thinner leaves that fall almost entirely in winter in cold regions.

🍃 Leaves

Opposite, ovate-lanceolate, almost evergreen, glossy

🌸 Flowers

Small upright white clusters, strong smell

🍎 Fruits

Small glossy black berries in clusters, toxic

🪵 Bark

Grey, smooth

🗺️ Distribution

Europe, North Africa, western Asia; very common in chalky hedges throughout France.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Very fragrant white flowers in panicles, rich in nectar, visited by many pollinating insects.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Very widely used in clipped hedges, although less evergreen than garden privet.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Black berries toxic if eaten (digestive upset), leaves also slightly toxic.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Wild privet

Ligustrum vulgare

Garden privet

Ligustrum ovalifolium

Garden privet keeps glossy, well-green foliage almost all year (or golden in 'Aureum'), and rarely loses all its leaves in winter, whereas wild privet, a native, has duller, thinner leaves that fall almost entirely in winter in cold regions.

🌿 Other Oleaceae to discover

Forsythia x intermedia

Common lilac

Syringa vulgaris

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.