Daphne L.
Genus composed of about 92 species of Palaearctic distribution. In North Africa it is represented by 4 species of small shrubs or subshrubs with a Mediterranean distribution. Two of them are creeping subshrubs:
D. oleoides Schreb. [D. oleides Schreb. subsp. atlantica (Maire) Rivas Mart., Molero Mesa, Marfíl & G. Benítez], is a tortuous subshrub, highly branched, often prostrate, rarely exceeding 0.5 m in height, with very small leaves, coriaceous and glabrous; inflorescences in capituliform terminal fascicles of 3-7 flowers (9-13 mm long) and red or orange fruits; it is distributed along southern Europe and major Mediterranean islands. In North Africa, it is found in very localized areas in at least two parts of the High Atlas Mountains (Morocco): in the Jbel Ukaimeden and near the Tizi-n Aït Hamed pass. It also appears in some limestone rocky outcrops of the mountains of Kabylia and Aures Massif (Algeria).
D. jasminea Sibth. & Sm. subsp. jarmilae Halda, a creeping subshrub, with tortuous stems and small mucronate coriaceous leaves, with characteristic purple flowers (rarely whitish or yellowish) solitary or in pairs; it is a rare endemic species that only grows in NE Libya (Jebel Akhdar), while the type species is from Greece.
D. oleoides is rarer and D. jasminea is much rarer and with a small distribution. Currently, they have not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Key to species
1 Subshrubs or shrublets 5-50 cm in height 2
1 Subshrubs or erect shrubs, up to 1-2 m in height. Inflorescence in axillary racemes, or terminal panicles 3
2 Cushion-shaped subshrub, with tortuous stems. Flowers white. Inflorescence in terminal capituliform fascicles of 3-7 flowers Daphne oleoides
2 Creeping subshrub,with small mucronate coriaceous leaves and characteristic purple flowers solitary or in pairs Daphne jasminea
3 Leaves large (3-12 cm long), obtuse. Inflorescence in axillary racemes. Fruit black Daphne laureola
3 Leaves smaller (1.5-4 cm long), acute. Inflorescence in terminal panicles. Fruit red Daphne gnidium
Updated by: H. Sainz.