What is this shrub (or tree)?

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neb

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#279897 15-Nov-2020 21:40

I've got a few of these things which have self-seeded in the garden and don't know what they are or whether I should keep removing them. Leaves are glossy and even pinnate, about 3-4cm long:

Given that you can pull them out without even trying I'm assuming it's not a weed, but I'd like to know what it is and whether I should keep them or pull them and let the surrounding ferns fill the space.

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BDFL - Memuneh
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#2604488 16-Nov-2020 00:24

I will be watching this. I have some of these (or what look like). If it is the same thing, it will grow and quite hard to get rid of.

neb

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#2604491 16-Nov-2020 00:31

freitasm: I will be watching this. I have some of these (or what look like). If it is the same thing, it will grow and quite hard to get rid of.

I've dealt with gorse, brambles, privet, and wooly nightshade, this stuff in comparison seems like nothing, but it'd be good to know what it is.

eracode

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#2604496 16-Nov-2020 04:34

Looks like privet - which is classified as a pest plant in NZ. Its leaves and berries are poisonous to animals and people. Its pollen and scent are believed to contribute to respiratory disorders such as asthma and hay fever.

Young seedlings are easy to pull out but once it gets bigger, it’s quite hard to kill physically. Cutting it off at ground level only encourages it to grow more vigorously. May need to be poisoned.

https://www.nrc.govt.nz/environment/weed-and-pest-control/pest-control-hub/?pwsystem=true&pwid=48

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neb

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#2604627 16-Nov-2020 11:46

eracode:
Looks like privet

I've very familiar with privet - it's a constant battle to keep it out of the garden - and it's definitely not that.

Biggest privet issue was dealing with a great mass of it by the reserve below the property. In the end we had to get a digger to take it out, the root ball was about a metre across, no wonder we couldn't get rid of it short of digging it out wholesale.

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#2604700 16-Nov-2020 13:10

Ah - thanks - so much for my confident answer.

I’m interested in the correct answer too now - I have dealt with big privet in the past as you have and it’s a bugger. We have small self-seeded plants here at a new place which look like yours and thought I was dealing with privet - but seems it’s not.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

webwat

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#2606554 18-Nov-2020 23:31

Those ferns look like ladder ferns, also a weed. Not sure what the shrub/tree is but likely a weed if its growing too easily.

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#2606601 19-Nov-2020 08:34

I would normally say coprosma because it is such a hardy and commonly occuring with, usually, glossy and opposite (branching at the same point) leaves. You can crush the leaves to see if they smell bad (means smells bad) because half the varieties do. Also check the leaf underside for pits.

https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/vascular/flowering-plants/dicots/coprosma/

http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio09Tuat01-t1-body-d6.html

Edit: I should have added a third test because coprosma tend to be woody. Does it have a woody stem/trunk?

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tchart

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#2606629 19-Nov-2020 09:28

Just an FYI but did you know you can use Google Lens and snap a photo of plants/trees and it will tell you what it is? Its pretty accurate the times Ive used it.

BlueShift

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#2606702 19-Nov-2020 09:50

You could try http://agpest.co.nz/ it'll help ID your weed, and if you find any cool bugs, it'll ID them too!

tchart

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#2606704 19-Nov-2020 09:53

Heres an example using Google Lens

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#2606811 19-Nov-2020 11:05

neb: I've got a few of these things which have self-seeded in the garden and don't know what they are or whether I should keep removing them. Leaves are glossy and even pinnate, about 3-4cm long:

Given that you can pull them out without even trying I'm assuming it's not a weed, but I'd like to know what it is and whether I should keep them or pull them and let the surrounding ferns fill the space.

If you don't end up having any luck here, try the New Zealand Plant Identification facebook group. They are amazing. When joining it can take a day or two to get approved

https://www.facebook.com/groups/317831921904857

neb

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#2607853 20-Nov-2020 21:40

tchart:
Just an FYI but did you know you can use Google Lens and snap a photo of plants/trees and it will tell you what it is? Its pretty accurate the times Ive used it.

Good suggestion in general, but AFAIK Google Lens is just a script that throws up a dialog "Thanks for updating. Lens will be available soon. Please try again later". Alongside lots of people all complaining about getting it, with no solutions or response from Google.

Apart from that it'd be a good idea :-).

ubernoob

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#2607859 20-Nov-2020 22:05

Did you know there is more than one type of "Privet", most commonly

Tree Privet

https://www.weedbusters.org.nz/what-are-weeds/weed-list/tree-privet/

and

Chinese privet

https://www.weedbusters.org.nz/what-are-weeds/weed-list/chinese-privet/

from what I can see in the image it may be this

but many more in the Ligustrum genus

also watching for a positive ID :-)

ubernoob

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#2607865 20-Nov-2020 22:13

....or it could be this native shrub that looks like a Chinese privet

https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/geniostoma-ligustrifolium-var-ligustrifolium/

?????????????

neb

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#2607867 20-Nov-2020 22:20

I've identified the mature form, it's a bushlike tree:

That one's next to a bus stop and frequently cut back so it doesn't look like much at the moment, it has a reasonably sizeable trunk. Here's a closeup of the leaves with a hand to scale:

So it is a tree, and not something I want in that area. The ferns are there by design, they fill in the shady area under the tree ferns and keep the weeds at bay, but the tree thing is unwanted.

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