Plant Identification

[RootConservative]

Hoping someone can identify this plant for me and if it has any wildlife value. About 1/6 of my property is covered in this and most is small under 3 feet tall. However, once it gets bigger it becomes impenetrable and is 9-12 feet high. I took a couple different pictures to hopefully give you enough pictures to help me identify it. As always thanks for the input.


Here's what it looks like when it gets impenetrable:

 

[Canuck5]

It looks similar to Nandina which is trying to grow everywhere in my back yard. It produces seeds that birds love and they are the ones that spread the seeds around my yard. My Nandina has slightly pointier leaves. Some of our gardening experts will probably have a better idea!

 

[Gutbucket]

Chinese Privet?

 

[ucfireman]

Thats what it looks like to me. Privet,if it is, deer do eat it, birds eat the seeds and it spreads like crazy. Its pretty aggressive. I have a bunch I keep cut low and some thats big Im going to either cut or pull out.
On the big stuff it has a light grey smooth bark. Big white flowers around june and purple blue berries in the fall/winter.

 

[Dbender]

Gallberry.

 

[Deer Fanatic]

I second gallberry

 

[NCHillbilly]

Yep, it's gallberry, AKA inkberry holly. Privet has opposite leaves, btw.

 

[Thunder Head]

Do deer eat it?

 

[Dbender]

No

 

[NCHillbilly]

Do deer eat it?

If they're hungry enough. Which isn't usually. Looks like good bedding cover, though.

 

[fishfryer]

Do deer eat it?

It's blooms provide nectar for Gallberry honey, some of the best.

 

[RootConservative]

If they're hungry enough. Which isn't usually. Looks like good bedding cover, though.

I always thought of it as good bedding cover, but have never found them to actually bed in it. They prefer the clear-cut natural regrowth on neighboring properties or inside thickets near natural ponds. How hard would it be to remove and what would be some alternatives? I want to keep it looking natural. The bulk of my property is red oak so obviously I need to plant white oaks.

 

[Iwannashoot]

We have tons of it on out hunting place in GA. Deer surely do bed in it all the time. I have seen turkeys nest in it also.

Most of ours is under almost mature slash pines, so we are able to burn. We try to burn about a third of our area every year. Deer feed heavily in the recently burned area, especially when it first pops out of the ground.