Ligustrum sinense
Inflorescences
The Chinese privet ( Ligustrum sinense ) is a shrub or tree of the family Oleaceae. Its natural habitat is in China, Laos and Vietnam, however, he was naturalized in Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
Description
The Chinese privet is a deciduous, 2-4, rarely up to 7 meters high, densely branched shrub or tree with tomentose hairy, yellow-green stems and erect to obliquely ascending branches. The leaves have a 2-8 mm long petiole. The leaf blade is simple, papery to leathery, 2-7 rarely to 13 inches long and 1 to 3 rarely to 5.5 cm wide, elliptic to oblong- elliptic, acute or obtuse with a wedge-shaped to rounded base. The upper leaf surface is dull green, the underside is lighter and hairy on the midrib. There shall be four to six, rarely seven pairs of nerves that protrude on the bottom.
The flowers are about 100 to 500 in hairy, 4-11 cm long and 3-8 cm broad panicles. The individual flowers grow on 1-5 mm long stalks. They have a 1 to 1.5 mm wide, bald or hairy calyx, a 3.5 to 5.5 millimeters wide corolla and corolla tube, which is slightly shorter than the corolla lobes. The stamens extend beyond the corolla lobes up to or slightly above, the anthers are about 1 millimeter long. The fruits are round, 5 to 8 millimeters by measuring, black and slightly frosted berries.
Distribution and ecology
The natural range is in the temperate to tropical zone of Asia in the Chinese provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang and Hong Kong, Taiwan, Laos, and Vietnam. In southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the USA, she was naturalized. The species grows in steppes and dry forests at altitudes of 200-2700 meters on moderately dry to moderately moist, slightly acidic to alkaline, sandy- loamy to loamy, fertile soil in full sun to light shade locations. It is heat- loving and usually frost hardy.
Systematics and history of research
The Chinese privet ( Ligustrum sinense ) is a species of the genus privet ( Ligustrum ) in the family Oleaceae ( Oleaceae ), Tribe Oleeae. The species was first described by João de Loureiro in 1790.
We distinguish several varieties:
- Ligustrum sinense var concavum M. C. Chang
- Ligustrum sinense var coryanum (WW Smith) Handel-Mazzetti
- Ligustrum sinense var dissimile S. J. Hao
- Ligustrum sinense var luodianense M. C. Chang
- Ligustrum sinense var myrianthum ( Diels ) Höfker
- Ligustrum sinense var opienense Y. C. Yang
- Ligustrum sinense var rugosulum (WW Smith) MC Chang
- Ligustrum sinense var sinense
Use
The Chinese privet is used rarely economical.