Flueggea tinctoria

Flueggea tinctoria is a species of flowering shrub in the family Phyllanthaceae, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.

Description
Flueggea tinctoria is a dioecious, deciduous shrub with up to 2 m in height, very branchy from the base. Branches are erect-patent, spinescent, cylindrical, smooth or warty, glabrous or puberulous and have short, small and thick hairs. Leaves are alternate and glabrous. Inflorescences have 2-4 (up to 6) fasciculate or solitary flowers, which are erect-patent in a male and sort of pendulous in the female; the pedicel of the male flowers is 2 - 6 mm and in the female 5 - 8 mm. It has 5 to 8 very exerted stamens. Fruits are 3.5 - 4 mm in diameter, subglobose, depressed, trisulcate; pedicel is up to 15 mm long. Seeds are smooth, around 2 x and convex on the back and flat laterally.

Distribution and habitat
Flueggea tinctoria is native to the southwest quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula (inland Portugal and centralwestern-southwestern Spain), a good representative of the western Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests. It inhabits shrubby communities, on flood beds and torrential watercourses, on siliceous terrain, usually stony, from 20 to 200 m in altitude. It is especially dominant in the river basins of the Guadalquivir, Guadiana, Tagus and Douro.