February 3, 2000

Deleting Ligustrum lucidum From 2000 PAL

All listings for Ligustrum lucidum will be change to L. Japonicum in the 2000 edition of the Plant Availability Locator.

If you feel you are indeed growing L. lucidum please contact Hugh Gramling or Roger Newton to confirm your ID.

Knowing the difference between two popular Ligustrum species has become a major discussion in the talks between FNGA and the Tampa Bay Wholesale Growers with The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC).

In the trade, the waxy leaf Ligustrum is known both as L. lucidum and L. japonicum. The confusion between

the names has become important since one of the varieties has begun to invade Florida’s natural areas.

Both the Japanese privet (L. japonicum) and the glossy privet or wax Ligustrum (L. lucidum) escape from cultivation in Florida. However, L. lucidum is showing up much more frequently in the wild. It’s recorded as having escaped into 10 counties in the west, north, and central parts of the state, and reported in six parks and preserves. Its increased occurrence and potential to disrupt the ecological structure of native habitats prompted its listing by FLEPPC as a Category II invasive. Japanese privet is not listed now as a problem by FLEPPC.

You can identify whether your stock is L. japonicum or L. lucidum easily. While particular cultivars may offer variation in leaf size or color or in growth habit, certain characters hold true to each species. The leaf tips of

L. japonicum (the most widely used horticultural species) are blunt or bluntly pointed; those of L. lucidum are sharply pointed. Holding a leaf of L. lucidum before a strong light, the lateral veins are clearly seen (lucid) as is a “halo” on the margins. Veins of L. japonicum are inconspicuous or opaque before a strong light. The flowers also differ with the petal tube of L. lucidum longer than the petal lobes in L. japonicum. The tube is shorter than the lobes in L. lucidum.

L. japonicum usually has a shiny and waxy leaf while L. lucidum is dull. The prominence of the fruit is another distinguishing characteristic. L. japonicum usually has small clusters of tightly bunched fruit as opposed to the prominent, loose clusters of L. lucidum.

A number of named cultivars of these two Asian Ligustrum species are sold in Florida, occasionally with confusion to which species a particular cultivar belongs. For example, the cultivar ‘Recurvifolium’ is listed in Hortus Third under L. lucidum when it is more probably a cultivar of L. japonicum and generally sold that way in Florida.

If you have difficulty determining which variety you raise or if you produce L. lucidum, contact the TBWG office at 655-1914 so your interests can be protected.