Rhamnus pumila Turra
Atadinus pumilus (Turra) Hauenschild
Spa.: Abarcapiedras, pudio achaparrado.
Creeping shrub, dioecious, usually deciduous, up to 0.5 m in hight, glabrescent, with stems and branches woody, non-thorny, twisting. Leaves are usually glabrous, alternate (1-3.5 cm long), from lanceolate, to ovate, obovate, broadly oblanceolate, oval or suborbicular, acute (apex retuse or acuminate) or obtuse, with (4)5-8(10) pairs of lateral nerves more or less straight and parallel, with margin crenate, discolored with a bright green adaxial surface, sometimes glaucous, and lighter green abaxial surface. Petiole (2-7 mm), with promptly caducous stipules. Inflorescence in axillary cymose fascicles. Flowers yellow-greenish, pedicels 2-5 mm, generally unisexual; calyx campanular, with 4 glabrous sepals; petals 4, 0.5-1.5 mm in the male flowers and non-existent in the female ones, alternating between the sepals. The fruit is a slightly fleshy drupe, trasovate, 3-6 mm long, glabrous, with 2-3 furrows; Inside it contains 2-3 glossy brown seeds, with a groove non-thickened on the dorsal side.
Flowering:
May to June.
Fruiting:
August to September.
Habitat:
Thickets and rocky outcrops in mountainous areas, mainly on limestone soils, in a cool, sub-humid and humid environment, mainly on the supramediterranean belt.
Distribution:
Mountains of central and southern Europe, and NW of Africa (Morocco). Here in the central and eastern High Atlas (up to Jb. Ayachi), Middle Atlas (up to Tazzeka and Bou Hedli mountains to the north) and western Rif (Jb. Lakrâa).
Observations:
According to the review in Flora iberica, there are 2 subspecies, with the type subspecies (Rh. pumila subsp. pumila) cited in Morocco. The review for Euro + Med Plantbase, and the IPNI do not recognize subspecies. Recent publications place this species in the genus Atadinus Raf., as Atadinus pumilus (Turra) Hauenschild subsp. pumilus.
Conservation status:
Uncommon species that does not seem to be threatened, its only serious problem seems to be overgrazing. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In the Livre Rouge de la flore vasculaire du Maroc (Fennane, 2021) it has been considered as Near Threatened (NT).
