Mataprieta (Justicia hyssopifolia)

Small shrub, very woody and branched, up to 1 m maximum, branches rather firm and light brown. Leaves are opposite or in clusters of 4-6, oblanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, entire, light green or yellowish green. Flowers are solitary, axillary whitish or creamy, relatively large. This native of Tenerife and La Gomera is mainly located in lowland zones (Euphorbia communities and associated scrub, and strongholds of thermophile vegetation), from sea level to 500 m. It can be abundant in some zones, such as Teno massif (northwest Tenerife).