Espinero, leña negra (Rhamnus crenulata)

Very woody shrub, densely branched, with firm branches, up to 2 m. Leaves narrowly oblanceolate to obovate, dark green, without glands, margins dentate-crenate, up to 2.5 cm long. Flowers are small and yellowish-green. Fruits are round, initially green, becoming purple when ripe. A native of the Canaries and found in all the islands, although it is very rare in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, where it is highly localized. It has not been found in El Hierro in recent times, though recordings are reliable, and in Gran Canaria it grows in a few areas in the north. It is relatively abundant in the other islands. This species is a characteristic feature of thermophile woodland and scrub, and of lowland Euphorbia communities, often hidden among large clumps of Euphorbia canariensis. Its range extends from 50-900 m.