Privet or Honeysuckle? Red Berries Confound Identification

Privet or Honeysuckle? Red Berries Confound Identification

A gardener asked if a hedge was privet, and which kind. It had white spring flowers, green oval berries turning red in early fall, opposite smooth-edged oval leaves.

Is this a privet bush?

Expert Response

Except for the red fruit, it looks like privet. Privet typically has blue/purple-black fruit. Opposite leaves and red fruit could be honeysuckle, but they rarely fruit in such panicles. The expert was stumped.