Wax privet

Ligustrum obtusifolium

Flower name
Wax privet
Scientific name
Ligustrum obtusifolium
Alias疣取木, Ligustrum obtusifolium, Ibota
Place of originJapan and Taiwan
Place of floweringFields and footpaths, Low mountains
Flowering seasonMay, June

What is Wax privet

Wax privet, Ligustrum obtusifolium, or Ibotanoki (scientific name:Ligustrum obtusifolium) is a deciduous shrub in the
familly Oleaceae, native to Japan and Taiwan. The elliptical leaves are regularly attached in pairs, giving the appearance of feathery double leaves. In early summer, a number of small white tubular flowers bloom in an inflorescence that extends from the tip of the flower stem. It produces small, dark purple, oval-shaped fruits in the fall.
The secretions of the ringworm, a parasite on the bark of a tree, become warty wax, which is used to make the wood's bark shiny and to improve its sliding properties.
The genus includes Wax-leaf privet, (scientific name: Ligustrum japonicum) and Chinese privet,(scientific name: Ligustrum lucidum).

Common name: Wax privet, scientific name: Ligustrum obtusifolium, also known as Ibota privet,Ligustrum obtusifolium,
Place of Origin: Japan, Taiwan; Distribution: Hokkaido - Kyushu; Environment: Bright forest edge of mountain and field; Type of Life: Deciduous shrub; Tree height: 2-4 m; Petiole: alternate growth; Leaf colour: green; Petiole: full margin; Leaf height: 3-5 cm; Leaf shape: oval; Inflorescence: general inflorescence; Crown: tubular flower with four lobes at the tip; Flowering period: May - June; Flower colour: white; Flower diameter: 0.5 cm; Fruit type: nucleus (drupe); Fruit diameter: 0.7 cm; Fruit stage: October; Fruit shape: oval; Fruit colour: dark purple; Remarks: Warty wax is the secretion of the warty beetle on the bark; Uses: Apparatus material, toothpicks, base wood, charcoal.