Myoporum parvifolium

Shrubs, prostrate, to 5 dm. Stems prostrate, much branched, 15 dm, often rooting at nodes; twig tips and young leaves green, not sticky. Leaves: blade green, narrowly oblanceolate, 2–4 × 0.5 cm, margins entire or sparsely serrate distal to middle, embedded glands inconspicuous. Flowers 1–3 per axil; corolla white, purple-spotted at bases of lobes, tube 2.5–3 mm, lobes equal, 3–4 mm, sparsely hairy adaxially; anthers well exserted from tube; ovary smooth. Capsules white to pale brown, globular, 5–7 mm, fleshy. Seeds ovoid to ellipsoid, 2 mm.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–Oct.
Habitat: Vacant lots, open, mesic areas in chaparral.
Elevation: 100–300 m.

Introduced; Calif., Australia.

Discussion

Myoporum parvifolium is widely cultivated as a ground cover in the southwestern United States; it appears to be established in canyons of urban southern California.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa