Help on ID'ing this?

[theta]

I picked this up from a nursery near me the other day. I liked the trunk and dead branches. After doing some research, I THINK it's a Howardi Ligustrum, but not sure.

Can anyone help confirm? and also, how do these work for bonsai, Im wondering how well the leaves will reduce.

 

[cbroad]

I was thinking ligustrum, but I'm not familiar with that variety. Looks cool though.

 

[theta]

Thought I'd post an update on this thing after taking some pictures today. I took it out of that huge nursery container back in February. Totally root bound. chopped off as much as I could to get it into the container I had on hand.




I think I did end up cutting those huge roots on the left side back a lot more before I potted it up, but didn't take any more pics. This is a picture from today. It has all these wonderful little white flowers that are just starting to open up.



After leaves harden off, planning to cut back in some places, maybe let some other areas thicken up. There's so many branches that have nothing but at the top - probably just going to have to chop them all way back and regrow everything, to get some better taper going on, because right now, there's no taper at all, which is probably really hurting the sense of scale.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Nice trunk. Hope for survival.

 

[Melospiza]

Wax-leaf Privet, Ligustrum lucidum. One of the unholy trinity of privets in Georgia, along with Chinese privet (sinensis) and Japanese privet (japonicum). Not as invasive as the other two, but the flowers are the most noxious-smelling of the 3 and make me miserable for a few weeks in spring. However, it is a good-looking bush/tree with muscly curving branches unlike the straight branches of the other two. The leaves reduce well, and the flowers do look nice. Both the bright green new leaves and darker green mature leaves look very glossy and waxy. Vigorous grower, just like the other two privets. all the best!

 

[Melospiza]

Huh, I guess it is Japanese privet; I am not very clear between lucidum and japonicum. Both these have larger leaves, but when defoliated or cut, it will produce lots of shoots with small leaves as it tries to replace the missing leaves. I think they make great bonsai candidates. As long as you remove the flowers when they are done to prevent fruits from forming and spreading into the neighbouring woods.

 

[theta]

Nice to hear!