Flueggea tinctoria is a species of flowering shrub in the family Phyllanthaceae, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.
Flueggea tinctoria is a dioecious, deciduous shrub with up to 2m (07feet) in height, very branchy from the base. Branches are erect-patent, spinescent, cylindrical, smooth or warty, glabrous or puberulous and have short, small and thick hairs. Leaves are alternate and glabrous. Inflorescences have 2-4 (up to 6) fasciculate or solitary flowers, which are erect-patent in a male and sort of pendulous in the female; the pedicel of the male flowers is 2mm6mm and in the female 5mm8mm. It has 5 to 8 very exerted stamens. Fruits are 3.5mm4mm in diameter, subglobose, depressed, trisulcate; pedicel is up to 15mm long. Seeds are smooth, around 2mm1.5mm and convex on the back and flat laterally.[1]
Flueggea tinctoria is native to the southwest quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula (inland Portugal and centralwestern-southwestern Spain), a good representative of the western Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests. It inhabits shrubby communities, on flood beds and torrential watercourses, on siliceous terrain, usually stony, from 20mto200mm (70feetto700feetm) in altitude. It is especially dominant in the river basins of the Guadalquivir, Guadiana, Tagus and Douro.[2]