Shrub or tree, dioecious (male and female flowers on different plants), sclerophyllous, evergreen, reaching up to 5-6 m in height. Foliage very dense, intricate and compact, so it is used a lot for hedges. Bark grey, finely fissured. Leaves 3-7 \u00d7 1-3 cm, simple, green, somewhat dull or greyish, alternate, subopposite, opposite or whorled, coriaceous, obovate to oblanceolate, wider in the upper half, with rounded apex and cuneate base. Margin often undulate and short petiole 1-3 mm. Flowers campanulate, in terminal racemes 2-4.5 cm. Male flowers larger (4-5 mm), with calyx 2 mm, white, with lobed corolla, 10-20 stamens, 2 opposite to corolla lobes and 2 alternate. Filaments shorter than the anthers. Female flowers with a small ovary (4-6 locules), with 2-3 styles and without staminodes. Fruit a globose berry, from red to purple or black when ripe, 5-7 mm and covered with scaly hairs. Seeds 1-2(3), rounded, with 3 longitudinal small ribs that start at the apex. Fruits are edible and are highly valued by birds. From the fruit, the Guarrie vinegar is made.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-13188","species","type-species","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n