Narrow-leaved mock privet
Phillyrea angustifolia
Family · Oleaceae · Harmless
The shrub with narrow opposite leaves that looks like a miniature olive, and belongs to the same family. It fills southern scrub and goes unnoticed because there is nothing showy about it.
Scrubland · Montado · Dunes and sand · Pine woods
Also known asgreen olive tree
How to tell it
Leaves in opposite pairs, narrow, leathery and dark green on both sides, without the olive's silvery underside. Tiny whitish flowers, and small fruits turning dark blue.
What it is confused with
Olive tree
Olea europaea
Turn the leaf: olive is silvery beneath, this one green on both sides. Same family, and the resemblance is no coincidence.
What it is for
Hard wood for handles and small pieces, and firewood. The fruits feed birds in late summer.
Where it occurs
Each square is an area with recorded observations of this plant. The lighter background is the set of areas where any of the entries has been observed, and serves as a reference. Note what this is not: it is not where the plant lives, it is where people record it, so trails and towns always look fuller than the mountains. Data from GBIF.
Sources
Community
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