Forestiera ligustrina

Oleaceae


I have to admit, I am uncertain of the species identification of this plant. Forestiera pubescens is the species I'm most familiar with and the plants that grow around here look an awful lot like the the F. pubescens common to Central Texas. However, based on the species distribution and local habitat, this plant is more likely F. ligustrina (aka Swamp privet) which is native to the Southeast.

In any case, this is an understory shrub in the same family as the very invastive Ligustrum. The stems tend to grow at right angles to each other, giving other species of Forestiera the common name "elbow bush". The flowers are yellow and insignificant. I don't know how large this shrub grows as there is not much info on the web. The leaves are about 1 inch in length with a dentate edge. I was lucky enough to find one in fruit.

Sambucus canadensis

Caprifoliaceae

Elderberry is a large suckering shrub with cane-like trunks growing to 15 feet tall. It spreads underground to form colonies. The American elderberry is sometimes refered to as a subspecies of S. nigra which grows throughout Europe. American elderberry has a widespread range from Eastern Canada to Texas. Although the fruit are mildly toxic when raw, they are used cooked in jams and pies. In spring, the plants produce large, flat-topped inflorescences of white flowers which lead to many shiny black drupes later in summer. The opposite, compound leaves can be identified by little soft spurs that occur the the axils of the leaflets.

Callicarpa americana

Verbenaceae

American beautyberry is a woodland shrub native to the eastern US and also occurs in parts of the Carribean. They typically stay less than 6 foot and have an open form. The large, toothed leaves are deciduous. As the name implies, the main attraction of beautyberry are it's fruits which are bright metallic magenta and occur in tight clusters within the leaf axils. Varieties of this plant have been developed for landscape use.

Ilex decidua

Aquifoliaceae

One of many native hollies found in the Southeast, this one is known as Possumhaw holly. As the scientific names suggests, it's a deciduous holly which grows to around 8 feet tall. They are very beautiful in winter when their limbs are bare of leaves but covered in red berries. The leaves are an inch or two long with a scalloped edge and have a slightly thick and rubbery feel. Notice how they are arranged on "short shoots" or spurs along the main branch. Like many hollies, Possumhaw is dioecious , meaning it has separate male and female flowers which occur on separate plants. The picture is of a female flower.