Macquarie Valley Weeds Committee & Lachlan Valley Weeds Advisory Committee

Banner

Privet

[New Search]

Botanical Name: Ligustrum lucidum & sinense
Other Common Names:

Declarations

 
Class Regions
Class 4Orange City Council,Upper Macquarie County Council
Landholder Responsibilities: The growth and spread of the plant must be controlled according to the measures specified in a management plan published by the local control authority and the plant may not be sold, propagated or knowingly distributed
Why Is It Bad?: Privet is a major weeds of bushland in NSW especially coastal regions and slopes. It is highly invasive in moist habitats as well as neglected and degraded environments.

Identification

Habit: Tree
Leaves: opposite, upper surfaces dark green, the underside is lighter.
Flowers: The flowers consist of small white petals (4 petals) heavily scented.
Fruit: The fruit consists of a berry, initally green then turning purple-black, oval in dense cluster. Seeds are short lived and remain vialbe for only one to two years. In healthly plants there can be several hundred seeds per square metre of soil under dense canopies.
Roots: Privet is shallow rooted so therefore it exploits extra surface water and nutrients rapidly. The roots are woody, branching thickened at the crown.

Control Methods

Manual Removal: Established plants can be extremely hard to control and often require several treatments before they are destroyed. Seedliings and small plants can be hand pulled or dug out.
Chemical Use: Privet can be controlled using the cut paint or drill fill methods. Do not treat during hot, dry periods. When using the cut paint method, peel the bark back before applying a herbicide, this is more effective. For the drill fill method clear soil away from base of plant, then drill directly into the crown. Follow up treatment is required for both methods.
Fire:
Slashing & Cutting: Clearing of mature plants can cause mass seed germination and rapid growth of suppressed plants.
Biological Control:
Grazing:
Cultivation & Scalping:
Smothering:
Solarisation:
Competition:
Monitoring:

Images

Click an image to view a larger version


Image Credit: Roger Smith


Image Credit: Megan Power


Image Credit: Megan Power





Content © Copyright 2008 - 2024 Macquarie Valley Weeds Committee and Lachlan Valley Weeds Advisory Committee.
Site design & development by C.A. & G.C. Capper