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Ruscus hypophyllum
Credits
Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles
Recommended citation
'Ruscus hypophyllum' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Synonyms
- Ruscus trifoliatus Mill.
A shrub with erect unbranched stems up to 2 ft high (at least in the wild). Cladodes oval to ovate, 2 to 31⁄2 in. long, 1⁄2 to 2 in. wide, shortly stalked, abruptly pointed, dark green. Flowers produced on the upper or lower surface of the cladode, each on a slender stalk about 1⁄4 in. long; bracts leafy or papery, much smaller than in R. hypoglossum, about 1⁄4 in. long, linear or lanceolate, with up to three, rarely four, veins. Berries globose, red, 1⁄2 in. wide.
Native mainly of N. Africa as far east as Tunisia, but extending to the northern littoral of the Mediterranean; in cultivation 1768, perhaps earlier. It has a general resemblance to R. hypoglossum, but is readily distinguished by the shorter and broader cladodes and the tiny bracts. It is too tender to have much value in gardens near London.