L. villosum; in Mandarin: 杻; pinyin: chǒu) is a species of privet native to China, Taiwan and Vietnam,[2] and naturalized in Réunion, the Andaman Islands, Norfolk Island, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and much of the eastern and southern United States (from Texas and Florida north to Kansas, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut).

[5] Ligustrum sinense is a deciduous shrub growing to 2–7 m tall, with densely hairy shoots.

[7] The following varieties are accepted by the Flora of China:[2] It is cultivated as an ornamental plant and for hedges.

It was introduced to North America to be used for hedges and landscaping where it has now escaped from cultivation and is listed as an invasive plant in southeastern states.

[1][9] It is estimated that Chinese privet now occupies over one million hectares of land across 12 states ranging from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas, with detrimental effects to biodiversity and forest health.