Invasiveness Assessment - Broadleaf privet (Ligustrum lucidum) in Victoria
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Plant invasiveness is determined by evaluating a plant’s biological and ecological characteristics against criteria that encompass establishment requirements, growth rate and competitive ability, methods of reproduction, and dispersal mechanisms.
| Each characteristic, or criterion, is assessed against a list of intensity ratings. Depending upon information found, a rating of Low, Medium Low, Medium High or High is assigned to that criterion. Where no data is available to answer a criterion, a rating of medium (M) is applied. A description of the invasiveness criteria and intensity ratings used in this process can be viewed here. |
The following table provides information on the invasiveness of Broadleaf privet.
A more detailed description of the methodology of the Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method can be viewed below:
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (PDF - 630 KB)
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (DOC - 1026 KB)
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Common Name: Broadleaf privet
Scientific name: Ligustrum lucidum
| Question | Comments | Rating | Confidence |
| Establishment | |||
| Germination requirements? | The species fruit ripen in winter and can germinate immediate after passing through a bird or other animal, however if the seed becomes dormant it requires some level of moderate cold stratification (Blood 2001). The optimum temperature for germination of L. lucidum is reported to be 15ºC (Burrows & Kohen 1983). Therefore the species is most likely to germinate in spring and therefore only requires seasonal conditions for germination. | MH | H |
| Establishment requirements? | The species is reported to be capable of establishing in very low light conditions (Tecco et al 2006). The species is also reported to invade areas such as coastal cliffs (Swarbrick, Timmins & Bullen 1999). Therefore the species is not considered to be limited by light, water or nutrient requirements. | H | H |
| How much disturbance is required? | The species is highly invasive in moist habitats including rainforest and riparian vegetation (Muyt 2001). As seeds of the species can germinate under closed canopy conditions, the species is seen as capable of establishing in healthy undisturbed natural ecosystems (van Aalst 1992). | H | MH |
| Growth/Competitive | |||
| Life form? | The species is described as a small to medium sized tree (Swarbrick, Timmins & Bullen 1999). | L | H |
| Allelopathic properties? | The species is suspected of having allelopathic properties (Blood 2001). | M | L |
| Tolerates herb pressure? | The species is reported to be browsed by sheep and cattle but due to the plants toxic nature not in any significant amounts (Swarbrick, Timmins & Bullen 1999). The species is able to regenerate rapidly if cut down (Mowatt 1981). | MH | H |
| Normal growth rate? | Fast growing (Blood 2001). The species is capable of out-competing Australian native species, becoming the dominant species and even forming monospecific stands (Swarbrick, Timmins & Bullen 1999). | H | H |
| Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc? | Reported to not be tolerant of waterlogging (Howell & Benson 2000). Individuals of the species have been reported to resprout post-fire in Argentina and Australia (Gurvich et al 2005; Swarbrick, Timmins & Bullen 1999). There is some conflicting evidence in terms of the plants frost tolerance, Blood (2001) reports the species to be frost sensitive, while in areas of Argentina that commonly receive frosts the species is abundant (Tecco et al 2006). The species reportedly has a low salinity tolerance (Barwick 2004). The species reportedly has a moderate tolerance to drought (Barwick 2004). | M | MH |
| Reproduction | |||
| Reproductive system | The species reproduces by seed and while the species is capable of suckering, this is considered an action of regeneration and not reproduction (Swarbrick, Timmins & Bullen 1999). | ML | H |
| Number of propagules produced? | An average annual fruit production per stem has been reported as 2300 (Westoby, Dalby & Adams-Acton 1983). Berries contain between 1 & 3 seeds (Weber 2003). Large trees have been reported to be capable of producing more than a million seeds a year (Swarbrick, Timmins & Bullen 1999). | H | H |
| Propagule longevity? | Seeds are reported to persist for less than five years (Panetta 2000). | L | H |
| Reproductive period? | Individuals can live more than 100 years (Blood 2001). Can form self persisting monospecific stands (Swarbrick, Timmins & Bullen 1999). | H | MH |
| Time to reproductive maturity? | Take 4 years to flower (Blood 2001). | ML | MH |
| Dispersal | |||
| Number of mechanisms? | Seeds are dispersed by birds and water (Muyt 2001). The species has been traded as a garden plant (Blood 2001). | H | MH |
| How far do they disperse? | The species is spread by pied currawongs (Bass 1996; Panetta 2000). Pied currawongs have been reported to have a dispersal range considerably greater than 1 km (Spennemann & Allen 2000). | H | H |
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