CHAP. LXXV. OLEA‘CEA. LIGU’/STRUM. 1199 
common English name of Privet may have been given to it fromits being frequently planted in 
gardens to conceal privies. 
Engravings. Engl. Bot., t. 764.; Curt, Lond., t.300.; Q&d. Fl. Dan. t. 1141.; Schmidt Baum., 3. t. 
147.; Lam. IL, 1. t.7.; Bull. Herb., t.295.; Mill. Ic,, 162.; Baxt. Brit. Fl. Pl, vol. 2. t. 119. ; 
and our jigs. 1019, 1020. 
Spec. Char.,c. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, glabrous, Ra- 
cemes compound, coarctate. The flowers are sweet- 
scented, white at first, but soon change to a reddish 
brown. Berries dark purple, almost black. (Don’s 
Mill., iv. p. 44.) A shrub, indigenous to Britain; grow- 
ing to the height of from 6 ft. to 10 ft., in a wild state ; 
and flowering in June and July. 
Varieties. 
& L. v. 2 leucocdérpum. The white-berried Privet. 
% L. v. 3 wanthocérpum. The yellow-berried Privet. 
% L. v. 4 chlorocérpum. The green-berried Privet. 
2 # L. v. 5 sempervirens, L, italicum Mill, and 
our fig. 1018. The Italian, or evergreen, Privet. 
—This is a most desirable variety for shrub- 
beries ; and it is so distinct, that it was con- 
sidered by Miller as a species. 
& L. v. 6 variegdtum. The variegated-leaved Privet. 
—Leaves variegated with yellow. 
% L. v. 7 angustifilium. The narrow-leaved Privet. 
Description. The common privet is a much-branched twiggy shrub, with 
the bark of a greenish ash colour, dotted with numerous prominent points. 
The leaves, in exposed situations, and on poor soils, 
are deciduous; but in sheltered situations, and more 
especially when the plant is cultivated in gardens, they 
remain on throughout the winter. When the plant is 
found in woods and hedges in the 
middle and south of England, it is 
generally subevergreen; but in the 
north of England, and in Scotland, it 
4 is more commonly deciduous. yp 
Geography, and History. Thecom- 
mon privet is a native of most partsG@@> _ 
of Europe, in woody wastes and JQ ( 
hedges, from N. lat. 51° to 57°, in * 
plains; and it is also found in the north of Africa, in the west and east of Asia, 
including Japan and the Himalayas; and in North America, from Canada to 
Virginia. In England, it is very common in woods and hedges; and, in Scot- 
land, it is found as far north as Forfar. It is also indigenous in Ireland. It is 
almost always found on good soils, more or less loamy or calcareous, and moist. 
It is believed to have been known to the Greeks (see p. 18.), under the name 
of phillyrea; and it undoubtedly was so to the Romans, it being men- 
tioned both by Virgil and Pliny; the latter stating that the berries were 
given to chickens to cure them of the pip. It is described by Gerard as 
growing naturally in the hedgerows of London gardens, and in every wood in 
all the countries of Europe, except Poland. In this last particular, however, 
he is mistaken; as, according to Schubert’s Catalogue, p. 107., the plant is 
found wild in the neighbourhood of Warsaw. In British gardens, the privet 
has been held in high estimation, for several centuries, for its use in making 
hedges ; either alone, or mixed with the common thorn, and as affording a 
screen for concealing objects. 
Properties and Uses. The leaves of the privet are bitter and astringent ; 
notwithstanding which they are eaten by cattle, sheep, and goats, but not by 
horses. The wood is white, hard, and, when of sufficient size, well adapted 
for the purposes of the turner. The berries, which ripen in autumn, and 
remain on the trees during winter, are excellent food for blackbirds, thrushes, 
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