Another likely privet from Mike, South Carolina

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We purchased an older home in Pawleys Island which was previously owed by an avid gardener. Upon cleaning up the yard we’ve discovered a number of beds and various flower. But the latest discover we were not sure if it was something or not. It does have a smaLL wood main stem, and looks familiar.

Mike,

this also looks like a privet, genus Ligustrum, though they usually have tan stems instead of green ones.  Some Euonymus have green stems, but the leaves do not look right for that genus.  The fact that the leaves are opposite and without any teeth on them leads me to the conclusion that this is most likely one of the non-native privets, often planted and escaped in our area, and not a holly, which has alternate leaves.

Sincerely,

Steve Hill, Botanist, SCNPS

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