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.
Where it grows
Scrubland · Montado · Dunes and sand · Pine woods
Also known asgreen olive tree
In flower
In fruit
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.
Open sheet →What it is for
Hard wood for handles and small pieces, and firewood. The fruits feed birds in late summer.