Phillyrea angustifolia explained

Phillyrea angustifolia, the narrow-leaved mock privet,^[1] is a species of flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae, native to the western and central Mediterranean.^[2]

It is an evergreen shrub with simple, entire, leathery, dark green, oppositely arranged leaves. Scented creamy-white flowers are borne at the leaf axils in spring and summer, and are followed by purplish black berries.

The genus name Phillyrea is derived from Greek and means 'leafy',^[3] while the species' epithet angustifolia means 'narrow-leaved'.

Notes and References

1. RHS Plants. Available at: https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/24488/i-Phillyrea-angustifolia-i/Details [accessed 22/02/21]
2. Plants of the World Online. Available at: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:610935-1 [accessed 22/02/21]
3. Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 49, 300