Uva de mar común (Tetraena fontanesii)

Shrublet up to 60 cm tall, highly branched, with a woody base. Leaves are very succulent, subcylindrical, thicker towards the tip, up to 2.5 cm long, glaucous or yellowy-green to orange. Flowers are solitary, axillary and pinkish-white; fruits are capsular, fleshy, composed of five valves and reddish when ripe. Shrublet characteristic of coastal areas, growing on sandy, stony, clay and even rocky soils, sometimes found above 50 m. Distribution encompasses the islands of Macaronesia (Savage, Canaries and Cape Verde) and North West Africa (Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal). It is found on all the islands and islets of the Canaries, except for La Palma, and in Cape Verde it is present throughout the archipelago, except for Santa Luzia, and the islets of Raso and Brava. It is abundant in many coastal areas of the islands and neighbouring continental regions.