Plant of the week: privet

Name: Privet (Ligistrum vulgare)

Otherwise known as: Common Privet, English Privet

Habitat: An evergreen perennial shrub member of the Oleaceae family, the group that includes the olive, growing up to 5m in northern Europe and China. It has dark green, spear-shaped leaves and panicles of cream coloured flowers that change into small purple/green berries that are highly toxic.

What does it do: At one time, before the advent of the ubiquitous cupressus hedges like Leylandii, Privet was the most common form of hedging in the United Kingdom. Easy to grow and control, nearly every suburban garden was bordered by Privet. The plant was also very popular with topiarists because it was so easy to carve and would retain its form without losing integrity.

Originally, herbalists made an infusion from the fruit to treat skin damaged by wind and sunburn, but latterly the discovery of the toxic nature of the glycosides contained in the fruit and leaves has rendered it redundant.

Ingestion of the berries and leaves causes instant vomiting, diarrhea and blazing headaches, and in cases of infantile poisoning may lead to coma and death. Most fatalities occur among domestic animals such as sheep and horses, it is now an offence in the UK to fail to dispose of hedge clippings.

In pre-Christian times, garlands and coronets were made from Privet and worn at religious ceremonies by children, and the yellow dye extracted from the bark was used to colour fabrics.

The Chinese Privet (Ligustrum lucidum), that grows to 10m, yields a fruit that features in Chinese medicine as a muscle and bone strengthener and is also applied for rheumatism, insomnia and as an aid to improving vision and hearing. The berries from both cultivars are thought to be a cure for falling and graying hair.

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