Broad-leaved privet tree

How to identify a broad-leaved privet

It is usually a small, dense tree of 4 to 12 m. The leathery leaves grow in opposite pairs and are glossy dark green on top, duller and paler beneath, smooth-edged and pointed. In spring and summer, big branched sprays of tiny white to cream flowers open at the branch tips, with a strong, sickly sweet smell. Bunches of small oval berries follow and turn blue-black in autumn and winter. Small-leaved privet is similar, but its leaves are only 2 to 7 cm long and its young shoots are hairy. Out of flower and fruit, it is easily mistaken for native cheese tree or a lilly pilly.

Growing a broad-leaved privet in Brisbane

Privet likes warm, humid conditions, and Business Queensland says it is now found throughout South East Queensland, especially around creeks, gullies and drainage lines. It is still common in gardens, where it was planted as a hedge, screen or windbreak. That is how it reached the bush: birds take the berries from garden plants, and water and dumped garden waste carry the seed further. As a restricted invasive plant it should not be planted, and existing plants need managing so they don't spread.

What to watch out for

The berries are the main problem. Business Queensland says one plant can produce up to 10 million seeds a season and live for up to 100 years, and birds and water spread the seed into creeks and bushland. The leaves and berries are poisonous if eaten, so keep children away from them, and the flowers can bother hay fever sufferers. As a Category 3 restricted invasive plant, it must not be given away, sold or released, and you must manage it on your land.

• Seedlings. Birds eat the berries and drop the seed in bushland and along creeks, and Business Queensland says a plant can produce up to 10 million seeds in a season.
• Poisonous parts. The leaves and berries are poisonous if eaten by people or livestock.
• Allergies. Business Queensland notes that it irritates hay fever sufferers.

Pruning and care

Pull seedlings while they are small and try to get the whole taproot, because a broken root can regrow. Larger plants are usually controlled by cutting them down and treating the stump with herbicide, using the rates in the Queensland Government's privet fact sheet. Dispose of cuttings and berries carefully, and never dump them in bushland or with loose garden waste, as that is one way the seed spreads. Felling a tall privet near a house or fence is a job for a professional with the right gear.

• Tree removal
• Stump grinding