Curved-Leaf Privet Ligustrum japonicum 'Recurvifolium'
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- li-GUS-trum juh-PON-ih-kum
- Description
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Crinkle Leaf is an erect, evergreen shrub or small accent tree with curved leaves. It is alkaline, pollution, sun, and shade tolerant, as well as cold hardy. It tolerates dry conditions and is intolerant of wet soils. It is susceptible to copper deficiency and whiteflies.
This plant flowers in late spring and produces an odor that is offensive to many people. It has lustrous dark-green evergreen foliage that makes this plant a great use for foundation planting, as a privacy screen, as a hedge, or even for planting in a container. This plant has a somewhat more open growth habit than the rest of the species and is hardier than the rest of the species.
The berries produced by this plant are toxic. Dogs can be adversely affected by eating the berries or leaves of privet. Privet is a weedy non-native plant. Please consider planting natives.
Quick ID Hints:
- lustrous dark green, simple, entire leaves with indistinct veins
- leaves have undulating margins and are twisted at the tip
- prominent lenticels on bark
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Ligustrum
- Species:
- japonicum
- Family:
- Oleaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Asia
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil pH:
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7a, 7b, 8b, 8a, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11b, 11a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Blue
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Fruits are berry-like drupes that are blue-black in color and less than an inch in size.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are perfect, white, and foetid. They grow on the terminal of a pyramidal panicle that is 2-6" long.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblong
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Undulate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are opposite, simple, broad-ovate to ovate-oblong, 1-3" long, wavy at the margins, and twisted at the tip. They have 4-5 pairs of indistinct raised veins on the undersurface, have a lustrous dark green color, coriaceous, and glabrous.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Lenticels
- Bark Description:
- Twigs are smooth, gray, and covered with large lenticels.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Container
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Dry Soil
- Pollution
- Problems:
- Malodorous
- Problem for Dogs
- Weedy
