''Ligustrum robustum'' grows as a shrub or small tree up to tall though old specimens of more than a hundred years have been observed with a height of . The fruit of the shrub is an ellipsoid berry, bluish-purple when fully ripe, × . The shrub is native to South and Southeast Asia (

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, India, Bangladesh,

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

( Burma), Cambodia, Thailand,

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

, Vietnam) but has become naturalized in other countries. It was introduced to Mauritius at the end of the 19th century and to La Réunion, where it has become a major invasive species. The Flora of China lists a "''Ligustrum'' ''robustum'' subsp. ''chinense'' P. S. Green" as native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, but more recent publications have regarded that name as a synonym of '' L. expansum.'' ''Ligustrum robustum'' was nominated among 100 of the "World's Worst" invasive species. A moth (''

Epiplema albida ''Epiplema albida'' is a species of moth of the family Uraniidae. It was described by George Hampson in 1895. It is found in India, and Sri Lanka. Description It has a wingspan of 24 mm. Forewings with outer margin evenly curved. Hindwings w ...

''), and two

coleoptera Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

(''

Dermorhytis ornatissima ''Dermorhytis'' is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. It is found in south Asia, southeast Asia and southwest China. Species The following species are placed in the genus: * '' Dermorhytis andrewesi'' Jacoby, 1895 * '' Dermor ...

'' and ''

Dermorhytis lewisi ''Dermorhytis'' is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. It is found in south Asia, southeast Asia and southwest China Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China. Geography Southwest China i ...

'') are being tested for biological control programs in La Réunion but have not yet been released.T. Le Bourgeois , V. Blanfort, S. Baret , C. Lavergne , Y. Soubeyran and J.Y. Meyer. 2008. Opportunities for classical biological control of weeds in European overseas territories. International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds
/ref> Other

lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

that feed on this plant are ''

Brahmaea wallichii ''Brahmaea wallichii'', also known as the owl moth, is a moth from the family Brahmaeidae, the Brahmin moths, and one of its largest species. It is found in the north of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Taiwan, and Japan. The owl moth is noct ...

'', ''

Pangrapta grisangula ''Pangrapta'' is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1818. Species *'' Pangrapta acolesis'' Viette, 1958 Madagascar *'' Pangrapta adoxopis'' (Turner, 1908) northern Queensland *'' Pangrapta adusta'' ...

''Caterpillar host plant database
/ref> and ''

Dolbina inexacta ''Dolbina inexacta'', the common grizzled hawkmoth, is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae. Distribution It is found from Pakistan, northern and central India and Nepal across Myanmar, southern China, northern Thailand and northern Vietn ...

''.

Etymology

''Ligustrum'' means ‘binder’. It was named by Pliny and Virgil.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). p 237

References

robustum Flora of the Indian subcontinent Flora of Indo-China Plants described in 1851 {{Oleaceae-stub