Ligustrum vulgare
| Ligustrum vulgare | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 10' |
| Width: | 10' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Ligustrum vulgare (common name: privet)
Propagation: Sow the seed in spring in a cold frame. Stored seed germinates better if it is stratified,[1]. Remove any fruit flesh from around the seed before it is sown since this can inhibit germination[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
The seed can also be sown in outdoor seed beds in the autumn. You can leave the plants to grow on in the seedbed for up to 4 years before planting them out into their permanent positions in the winter.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Very easy[2].
Cuttings of mature wood, 20 - 30cm in a sheltered outdoor bed in November/December[2]. The cuttings can also be placed in situ if required. High percentage[2].
Cultivation: A very tolerant and easily grown plant, it succeeds in any soil that is not very impoverished[3]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a calcareous soil and succeeds in thin dry soils[4]. Grows well in light woodland or the full shade of a wall but flowers and fruits best in a sunny position[4]. Tolerant of atmospheric pollution, once established they also tolerate drought but are intolerant of water-logging[4].
A suckering shrub, forming dense thickets and making good bird cover[4]. An important food plant for many caterpillars, including the larvae of the privet hawk moth[4].
This species is notably susceptible to honey fungus[5].
Range: Central and southern Europe, including Britain, to N. Africa.
Habitat: Open woodland, hedges and scrub, often by the sea and usually on calcareous soils[6][7][8].
Medicinal: The leaves are astringent, bitter, detergent, vulnerary[9][10]. Internal use of this plant should be avoided since it can produce allergic symptoms[9]. Externally it is a safe and effective treatment[9].
The bark has been used as a stomachic[9], though this is not really recommended.
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves[11], from the bark according to other reports[12][13].
A bluish-green dye is obtained from the berries[11][12][13], it is more permanent than most greens[14]. A black dye can also be obtained from the fruit[13] as well as an ink[12][13].
Wood - hard, close-grained. It is valuable for turning if it reaches sufficient size[14] and can also be used to make small tools[12][13]. The wood is a source of charcoal[12][13].
The young twigs are used in basketry and hurdle making[12][13][15].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: Poisonous[6], though the toxicity is of a very low order and normally the consumption of the fruit leads to vomiting or no symptoms at all[16].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Beckett, Kenneth and Gillian Beckett. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold, 1979.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Altmann, Horst. Poisonous Plants and Animals. Chatto and Windus, 1980.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Mabey, Richard. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana, 1979.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.