Ligustrum japonicum aka Japanese Wax Leaf Privet

Ligustrum japonicum, or Japanese privet, belongs to the olive family. This evergreen shrub can also form a small tree. Its native range includes southeast China, Korea, and Japan. It grows in woods and thickets on low ground and hills. The plant forms a dense crown with upright, spreading branches. Growth is fast when young but slows with age.

Garden shrubs reach about 6–13 feet [1.8–4 metres] tall. Some small trees reach 20 feet [6.1 metres]. Spread varies with climate, age, and pruning. Sources give garden widths of 5–13 feet [1.5–4 metres]. Florida trees can spread 25 feet [7.6 metres] across. Several curved trunks may support the broad crown. Smooth gray bark bears pale lenticels. The leaves grow in opposite pairs along the stems. Each leaf is simple, dark green, glossy, and leathery. The edges lack teeth, and the undersides look paler.

Small cream-white flowers form panicles at the branch tips. Bloom runs from spring into summer, depending on climate. Missouri Botanical Garden gives May to June. The RHS reports flowers from midsummer into early autumn. Their scent can be unpleasant, though butterflies visit them. Small fleshy drupes turn from green to blue-black in fall. Fruit may stay on the plant through winter. Birds eat the fruit and spread its seeds.

Grow Japanese privet in sun or part shade. Partial shade helps protect leaf color in hot places. Strong summer sun can scorch the leaves. It accepts clay, loam, sand, and varied soil pH. Moist soil with good drainage suits it well. It also withstands dry spells, but not constant wetness. Sources place it in USDA zones 7–10 and RHS H5. Gardeners use it for hedges, screens, borders, and topiary. It also grows in pots or as a small tree. It tolerates clipping, but fast growth can crowd foundation beds.

Japanese privet is invasive in North Carolina. Other sources describe less trouble from escaped seedlings. Whiteflies, weevils, scale, and mites can damage it. Leaf spots, blight, cankers, mildew, rot, and wilt may occur. Nematodes can cause severe decline in sandy soil. The fruit can poison people, and the plant harms pets. Eating it may cause gut upset and other serious signs. PFAF records roasted seeds as a coffee substitute. It also records cooked shoots as famine food, with toxicity warnings. These reports do not establish safe food use.