Phillyrea latifolia L.
Ph. angustifolia subsp. latifolia (L.) Maire, Ph. angustifolia subsp. media (L.) Bonnier & Layens, Ph. medianifolia subsp. caballeroi Sennen, Ph. media L.
Eng.: Green olive tree, mock privet. Spa.: Labiérnago. Fre.: Filaire à feuilles larges, alavert à larges feuilles. Ara.: Qttem, qttam, qatum, derua, rbib uozemmur, imtutel, amtal, alzerua. Tam.: Tamtuala, ached, adura.
Shrub or tree, evergreen, hermaphrodite, up to 10 m in height, although when growing in good forest soils, such as the remains of primitive vegetation in some Muslim cemeteries (marabouts), there are trees up to 25 m in height. Trunk straight, or more often sinuous, short, with fissured bark on older specimens, from blackish to greyish. Branches with smooth bark, greyish-brown. Young branchlets often hairy, green or light grey. Leaves [2-7 × 1-3.5(4.3) cm], variable in shape, but easily differentiated from the former species because they are proportionally much wider —in general they can be ovate, elliptic or broadly lanceolate—, with entire margin, (those in trees or upper parts of shrubs have some acute or obtuse teeth; while those in lower parts of shrubs and in new shoots and saplings have a highly dentate or serrated margin, in part or in all of the leaf blade); acute or obtuse, with short petioles, opposite, ± coriaceous, glabrous, deep green, slightly lighter on the underside. Inflorescence in short axillary racemes. Flowers white, small, hermaphrodite. Calyx campanulate, green, with 4 prominent triangular teeth. Corolla with short tube ending in 4 lobes opened in the shape of a star. Stamens 2, very short, with proportionately very large anthers. Ovary with short style and bilobulate stigma. Fruit a globose drupe, sometimes ending in a small peak, green at first, then red or purple and finally black. Seeds 1-2.
Flowering:
April to June.
Fruiting:
August to November.
Habitat:
Thermophilic forests and thickets. Less specific to the type of habitat than the previous species, it grows in holm oak, kermes oak, cork oaks, wild olive forests and other Mediterranean forests in not very cold areas. From semiarid to subhumid bioclimate, on thermomediterranean and lower mesomediterranean floors.
Distribution:
Mediterranean region. In North Africa, it is found almost throughout all non steppic Mediterranean area. To the S it reaches the Anti-Atlas, the Saharan Atlas and mountains in central Tunisia. To the E it reaches the Jebel Akhdar (NE Libya).
Observations:
Highly polymorphic species of which numerous subspecies, varieties and forms have been described. Among them, a form that is intermediate between Ph. agustifolia and Ph. latifolia, initially considered as Ph. media L. and then recombined in different ways.
Conservation status:
Relatively common and widespread species. In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it is listed as Least Concern (LC) at global level (Rivers & Barstow, 2017).