Privet (Wild Prvet, Privet Hedge)

"Wild" Privet

Ligustrum (ovalifolium)?

Family: Oleaceae

Recycle from 2008 (As of May 2nd, not all the the bushes are this advanced, but they are coming on full force, and folks will want to know what they are.)

Look anywhere around Arkansas, and you are bound to see Privet as part of our highway underbrush. For the most part Privet is "invisible" till it blooms in May then shows us just how much of it there is. For those of us who love its fragrance, Privet is a wonderful thing. (Some folks find them too fragrant. Oddly, They seem most potent at night when you can't see them.)

Privet is a European or Asian transplant, and invasive. But it isn't only found on the roadside. With a little pruning Privet can be "made" a tree, or more commonly, a hedge.
For unwild uses see: http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_66517


You can see a huge stand of "wild" Privet on the North Little Rock Hill, where Interstate 40 and Interstate 30 merge, near JFK. But its pretty much everywhere, though often mixed and merged with concurrent blooming Honeysuckle. (Honeysuckle runs yellowish, but at a distance Privet and Honey-Suckle often look alike ... Except that Privet spikes into the air, and is its own thing, rather than a vine.

For more on Privet see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privet
For more on the Oleaceae family (which includes olives) see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleaceae

Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina).

Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina).

We happen to have one of these in our side yard, and I just now found out what it is. Thanks Joannie of the AR State Parks (and friends) for the help. As is, the Wild Black Cherry is coated in finger length floral plumes, that will soon replace berries where the individual flowers are found. The berries are supposed to edible, and good for jam, though somewhat bitter for a direct taste.
The other standout of this tree is its smell. I rather like it, but it is potent and some folks may find it overbearing.