College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources

Plant Database

Ligustrum amurense

Amur Privet

Oleaceae

Amur Privet
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Habitat

  • native to northern china
  • hardy to zone 4

Habit and Form

  • a medium sized deciduous shrub
  • dense, multibranched shrub
  • 12' to 15' tall
  • equal width
  • medium texture
  • fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

  • simple, deciduous leaves
  • opposite leaf arrangement
  • lanceolate leaf shape
  • 1" to 2" long
  • smooth leaf margins
  • glabrous underside
  • dull green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

  • no fall color

Flowers

  • white, terminal panicles
  • strong odor
  • blooms in late May for 2 to 3 weeks
  • 1" to 2" long

Fruit

  • black fruit
  • 0.25" drupe
  • ripens in early September
  • persists

Bark

  • thin stems
  • purplish new growth
  • pubescent
  • light brown bark color

Culture

  • transplants easily
  • extremely adaptable
  • full sun to partial shade
  • pH adaptable
  • prune after flowering

Landscape Use

  • screen
  • border
  • hedge
  • groupings or mass
  • foundation planting

Liabilities

  • anthracnose twig blight
  • canker
  • powdery mildew
  • leaf spot
  • aphids, leaf miners, mites and whiteflies
  • overused

ID Features

  • sessile, small ovoid buds, brown
  • white odorous flowers
  • black fruit
  • opposite leaf arrangement
  • light brown bark
  • pubescent stems
  • dull green leaf color

Propagation

  • by softwood cuttings
  • by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

  • none

© Copyright Mark H. Brand, 1997-2015.

The digital materials (images and text) available from the UConn Plant Database are protected by copyright. Public use via the Internet for non-profit and educational purposes is permitted. Use of the materials for profit is prohibited.

Citation and Acknowledgements: University of Connecticut Plant Database, https://plantdatabase.uconn.edu/, Mark H. Brand, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, Storrs, CT 06269-4067 USA.