Moralito (Rhamnus integrifolia)

More or less compact shrub, often hanging, occasionally up to 2 m. Leaves are lanceolate, margins entire, acute, without glands, and tend to turn yellow before dropping. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, with small, barely noticeable greenish-yellow flowers. Fruits are purple or reddish when ripe and very striking. A native of Tenerife, with a highly unusual distribution, since it is present in high montane zones from 2,000 to 2,400 m altitude (Teide National Park), in ravines at mid-altitude in the southeast and southwest, and in certain areas of xeric and thermophile habitats above 400 m in Teno massif. Relatively common in several spots, it is therefore not really considered to be under threat. A rupicolous species, it tends to grow on ravine walls and rocky outcrops, where there is little negative impact. The genus Rhamnus has three species native to the Canaries, two are endemics to the archipelago (R. crenulata and R. integrifolia) and one is shared with Madeira (R. glandulosa).