Family: Oleaceae

Status: Large-leaf privet is declared noxious in Shoalhaven Local Government Area, in category W4b. It cannot be sold, propagated or knowingly distributed, and established plantings must be prevented from flowering and fruiting.

Description:
Both species are evergreen shrubs or small trees, with small-leaf privet more often a shrub but potentially reaching about 5m high. Bark is smooth and grey. Leaves are glossy, in opposite pairs, oval in shape, to 13 cm long in large-leaf privet and 5cm in small-leaf privet, with a less tapered tip. Sprays of small white flowers occur at the branch tips, followed by large clusters of small (4-7mm), fleshy black fruits. Small-leaf privet flowers in spring, large-leaf privet in summer.

Preferred habitat and impacts:
Popular as a hedge plant in old gardens, the privets spread from old farmhouses and around towns. Gullies and creek banks are a favoured habitat. Birds can carry the seed well into the bush. Annual seed production is enormous.
The dense shade cast by the privets suppresses all other vegetation except for shade-loving weeds. Both leaves and fruits are poisonous to humans.

Dispersal:
Birds and other animals. Seed dumped in garden waste. Root suckers can come up after the parent plant is removed.

Look-alikes:
Several native rainforest trees have similar glossy leaves in opposite pairs. The most similar are lillypilly (Acmena smithii ) and grey myrtle (Backhousia myrtifolia). These also have terminal sprays of white or cream flowers, but not the black fruits which distinguish the privets. The weedy tree camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) also has glossy leaves and black fruits, but its leaves are not in opposite pairs.

Control:
Cut and paint or stem-inject. Seedlings can be hand-pulled. Seedling growth is likely to be very prolific when mature plants are killed, and will probably need to be sprayed. However, seed viability is limited to a couple of years in the soil, so seedling regrowth will be confined to this period (unless birds import more seed).