FPS-213 Forestiera segregata: Florida Privet 1 Edward F. Gilman, Dennis G. Watson, Ryan W. Klein, Andrew K. Koeser, Deborah R. Hilbert, and Drew C. McLean 2 1. This document is FPS-213, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 1999. Revised December 2018. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication. 2. Edward F. Gilman, professor emeritus, Environmental Horticulture Department; Dennis G. Watson, former associate professor, Agricultural Engineering Department; Ryan W. Klein, graduate assistant, Environmental Horticulture Department; Andrew K. Koeser, assistant professor, Environmental Horticulture Department, UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center; Deborah R. Hilbert, graduate assistant, Environmental Horticulture Department, GCREC; and Drew C. McLean, biological scientist, Environmental Horticulture Department, GCREC; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension office. U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Introduction Florida privet is a 10- to 15-foot-tall shrub or small tree that is densely foliated with small, evergreen leaves. e dark, glossy green leaves are oblong to elliptic in shape and are sometimes shed in the winter. e form commonly found in south Florida (Dade County) has a much smaller leaf than those from other parts of the state. e bark of the younger trees is light brown or gray, and older specimens have a pale yellow bark that is mottled with light brown and green. e bark of the older trees is also roughened by many small, raised lenticels. Bees are attracted to the tiny, corolla-less flowers that have greenish yellow or reddish purple stamens. ese flowers are borne individually or in clusters of three or four along the branches, and they occur in the winter and early spring before the new leaves emerge. e fruits are black berries that ripen in the spring and summer. e birds favor these berries, and the plant produces the fruits in abundance. General Information Scientific name: Forestiera segregata Pronunciation: far-ress-TEER-uh seg-reg-AY-tuh Common name(s): Florida privet, Florida swamp privet, Southern privet Family: Oleaceae Plant type: tree USDA hardiness zones: 8B through 11 (Figure 2) Origin: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and many of the Caribbean Islands UF/IFAS Invasive Assessment Status: native Planting month for zone 8: year round Planting month for zone 9: year round Uses: superior hedge; espalier; specimen; screen; attracts butterflies Figure 1. Full Form—Forestiera segregata: Florida privet