Can anyone here identify this tree.

[Gem99ultra]

yep, its a Ligustrum. I have a couple that I have to chop back a couple of times per year. They'll grow about 18 inches per year if I don't keep them in check. Heck, they're already about 9' high, higher than I want to have to trim them annually. I'm tempted to chop them down to about a foot high every year, but the birds rely on them for bad weather protection.

You'll find that they require very little care, other than trimming them back. Great barrier shrubs.

 

[/pine]

Crinkle up a few leaves and see what it smells like...I bet it smells like cherry...!

 

[1930]

Crinkle up a few leaves and see what it smells like...I bet it smells like cherry...!

Ill try to remember to crinkle a leaf when I return this weekend so we can get to the bottom of this mystery

 

[txdon]

It looks like my bayberry bush. The leaves you put in soups. Crush the leaves and smell them.

 

[MossRoad]

Ligustrum has leaves directly opposite of each other on the stem. The OPs pictures shows the leaves staggered up the stem, so it can't be ligustrum.

 

[Threepoint]

I spent quite a bit of time researching these at your suggestion. Ive ordered these 5-Nellie R Stevens Holly Liners | eBay and am hopeful of positive results. Thanks

Will you be planting them where the local deer can easily get to them? Nellie R. Stevens hollies are nice, for sure, but here in Virginia the whitetail deer love them. Neighbors of ours planted 15 lush six-footers for privacy along an outlet road a few weeks ago, and the deer have already nearly destroyed them. And we've had a very mild winter so far! In your area, there may be enough tastier vegetation year-round for this not to be a problem.

 

[MossRoad]

It's not a Rhododendron.

 

[/pine]

Another point of identification is the minor spurs on the edges of some leaves...visible in both the OP's pics and the one in the link in post #6...

 

[MossRoad]

cherry laurel

They are quite prevalent in central FL...they will grow into a large tree...

https://www.wilcoxnursery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Cherry-laurel-foliage.jpg

Crinkle up a few leaves and see what it smells like...I bet it smells like cherry...!

I'm thinking you're closest.

Characteristics
The leaves and branches contain high amounts of cyanogenic glycosides that break down into hydrogen cyanide when damaged, making it a potential toxic hazard to grazing livestock and children.[5] Due to this, it is considered highly deer-resistant.[9] When crushed, its leaves and green twigs emit a fragrance described as resembling maraschino cherries[11] or almond extract.

Prunus caroliniana - Wikipedia

 

[/pine]

I'm thinking you're closest.

Characteristics
The leaves and branches contain high amounts of cyanogenic glycosides that break down into hydrogen cyanide when damaged, making it a potential toxic hazard to grazing livestock and children.[5] Due to this, it is considered highly deer-resistant.[9] When crushed, its leaves and green twigs emit a fragrance described as resembling maraschino cherries[11] or almond extract.

Prunus caroliniana - Wikipedia

They are very prevalent in central and S. FL...some consider them a nuisance...they produce dark berries that black birds and robins swarm over and get intoxicated...the seeds are spread rampantly...larger specimens are weak in winds and they are prone to disease...they grow very fast...I have seen them used as hedges...