Can you help me identify a june-flowering shrub?

katiegirl · Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:20 am

This shrub is about 7 ft tall and has a growth habit in a sort of a spray, like a Weigela. It appears to sucker freely. The shrub is in blossom (I'm in Seattle) right now (June). It has groups of tiny white blossoms that hang off the end of each branch that look much like jasmine blossoms. The leaves are oval, with a smooth edge and appear opposite one another on each branches. The blossoms have soft sweet smell and it looks like the blossoms may result in small clusters of small hard dark blue/purple, almost metallic-looking berries.

I thought this might be a Clethra, but the leaves are different and the blossom of the Clethras I've seen are upright in stalks rather than hanging.

I'm working on getting a picture posted.

Any ideas out there?

Thanks.

katiegirl · Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:47 am

blossom: [url=https://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=blossomandleavesvz4.jpg][img]https://img263.imageshack.us/img263/645/blossomandleavesvz4.th.jpg[/img][/url]

berries: [url=https://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=berriesyn3.jpg][img]https://img263.imageshack.us/img263/3760/berriesyn3.th.jpg[/img][/url]

katiegirl · Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:29 pm

I just got back from the nursery and they identified this as Ligustrum. I've heard a lot about privet but obviously am not familiar with it. It's not really used much out here on the west coast.

Now I just need to narrow down the species . . .

opabinia51 · Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:10 pm

I must say that I can't narrow it down myself but, if you go to uvic.ca and use the onsite search engine to look up the herbarium and email your pics to them, they should be able to help you out.

A word to the wise though, they will take a while to get back to you.

Actually, here's one better: herb@uvic.ca . The curator is Dr. Geraldine Allen but, most likely one of the grad students or RA's will look after you.

Does anyone else want to take a stab at it?

katiegirl · Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:30 pm

Thank you so much!! I'll try this and keep you posted. I'd like to find out what kind of privet this is. I had no idea that they even flowered . . .

Jess · Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:52 pm

Of course!!!
I kept looking at it thinking I know what that is but just wouldn't pop into my head. I think you will find it is Ligustrum ovalifolium. It is used as hedging here so you don't get to see flowers or fruit very often as they get trimmed off!

katiegirl · Wed Jun 27, 2007 2:17 am

That makes sense. I had always read about privet in books set in England, otherwise I wouldn't even have been familiar with the plant name. Seriously, I think this is the first time I've ever actually seen one in real life.

I grew up in Alaska before moving to Seattle and we didn't even have hedges there.

What's really funny is that I'd just read an earlier post in which someone had identified privet for another. It was pruned as a tree, but differently than the one I saw, so I didn't make the connection. It's clearly a very flexible plant.

Thanks for the species info - I'll read about this tonight.