Evergreen shrub, hermaphrodite (rarely gynodioecious), up to 1 m in height, sometimes up to 1.5 m, upright, sparsely ramose. Stems glabrous, usually bare as the leaves appear in dense rosettes at the end of the stems. Bark of the oldest part of the stems chestnut in colour and slightly fissured; bark of younger stems and branches, greenish, glabrous. Leaves particularly large in Andalusian and North African subspecies (4-13 \u00d7 2-4 mm), from oblong-lanceolate to obovate, entire margin, obtuse or subacute apex, but usually rounded, attenuate at the base, coriaceous, bright green on the upper side, slightly lighter on the underside; usually grouped at the end of the stems. Inflorescence in dense axillary racemes, with 3-8(10) greenish-yellowish flowers, subsessile, 7-14 mm, female flowers smaller (4-6 mm). Hypanthium promptly caducous. Sepals 2-3 mm, ovate to ovate-triangular, obtuse. Stamens 8, included. Fruit a bacciform drupe, 6-10 mm, subglobose, fleshy, green at first and finally bright black. Seed ovoid, 6 \u00d7 2-4 mm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-13098","species","type-species","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n