also: ねずもち
Japanese privet; Ligustrum japonicum
An evergreen shrub or small tree native to Japan, often used in hedges and landscaping. The name literally means 'mouse mochi' because the small fruits resemble mouse droppings.
I planted Japanese privet in the garden hedge.
Small birds like to eat the berries of the Japanese privet.
Katakana spelling is common for plant names; usually written in kana.
Kanji form is rare and may not be recognized by many readers.
Contracted reading, less common.
A compound of 鼠 and 黐. The plant was named for its dark fruits, likened to mouse droppings, and its resemblance to モチノキ, the birdlime holly represented by 黐.