# Common Privet (*Ligustrum vulgare*) Common Privet is a bushy plant that can grow tall and wide. It has shiny green leaves and small white flowers that smell sweet in the summer. This plant is often used to make hedges in gardens. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Urban areas ![Common Privet](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Olivereta_amb_fruit_verds.JPG&width=800) Photo: Victor M. Vicente Selvas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olivereta_amb_fruit_verds.JPG) ## Appearance The Common Privet is a dense, semi-evergreen to evergreen shrub featuring small, oval, dark green leaves. It produces fragrant clusters of tiny white flowers in summer, which later develop into shiny, spherical black berries that persist through winter. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Lamiales - **Family:** Oleaceae - **Genus:** Ligustrum ## Interesting facts - "Privet" might come from the word "private," because it makes great privacy hedges. - Its wood is so tough it was once used to make small tools and walking sticks! - Some privet plants can live for over 100 years, growing into small trees! - The strong, sweet scent of its white summer flowers can fill an entire garden! ## Special abilities - **Pollution Buster:** Common Privet can tolerate air pollution, which helps it thrive in cities and busy roadside environments. - **Seed Spreader:** Common Privet has berries that, though toxic to humans, attract birds to help spread its seeds far and wide. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 200-500 cm - **Spread:** 100-300 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-0.8 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Moderate - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Drinks nectar from its fragrant white flowers. - **Eaten by:** European Blackbird (*Turdus merula*) — Safely consumes the privet's black berries in winter. - **Eats:** [Privet Hawkmoth](https://www.snappit.app/explore/privet-hawkmoth) (*Sphinx ligustri*) — Its large caterpillars feed on privet leaves. ## Traits - [Aromatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aromatic): Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low While Common Privet is pretty, it's best to avoid eating its berries. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Common Privet? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Common Privet? 200-500 cm ### How wide does Common Privet spread? 100-300 cm ### How big are the flowers on Common Privet? 0.5-0.8 cm ### When does Common Privet bloom? Summer ### Is Common Privet edible? No ### Is Common Privet toxic? Moderate ### What is Common Privet's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Boerner Botanical Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/boerner-botanical-gardens) — Wisconsin, US · Botanical Garden ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Common Privet: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-privet)