Privet, << PRIHV iht, >> is the name of a group of flowering shrubs. The common privet is planted in many parks and gardens of North America. It is native to southern Europe and northern Africa. Other species of privets grow wild in Asia and Australia. All parts of privets are poisonous if eaten. The common privet is usually kept trimmed as a hedge but is sometimes cultivated as a large bush as much as 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall. Its white flowers are much smaller and less showy than those of the lilac, its close relative, but are similar in shape. Their odor is less sweet than that of the lilac. The common privet’s smooth, dark-skinned fruit resembles a tiny olive. Some cultivars (varieties) of the common privet have white, yellow, or greenish-yellow fruits.
