How do you recognise Flax-leaved daphne (Daphne gnidium)?

Leaf

Bertrand Bui, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Flax-leaved daphne

Daphne gnidium L.

Family: Thymelaeaceae

0.5 to 1.5 m tall

Garrigue, dry banks, Mediterranean gardens, poor soils

Flowering: July – November

Full sun

Part shade

Hardy to -8°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The whole plant, particularly its red berries, is toxic — its very fibrous bark was formerly used to make rope. Mezereon loses its leaves in winter and flowers on completely bare wood before the leaves appear, whereas the Mediterranean flax-leaved daphne keeps narrow evergreen foliage and flowers on stems that are already in leaf.

🍃 Leaves

Evergreen, narrow, lanceolate, grey-green

🌸 Flowers

Small, fragrant white flowers in terminal clusters

🍎 Fruits

Small toxic red berries

🪵 Bark

Grey fibrous bark, very tough, supple stems

🗺️ Distribution

Mediterranean; found in the maquis and garrigue of southern France.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Fragrant white flowers in late summer, visited by moths and a few bees.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Rarely planted in gardens because of its toxicity, found mainly in natural Mediterranean habitats.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

The whole plant is very toxic (especially the berries and bark), causing severe skin and digestive irritation, with a risk to life if eaten.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Flax-leaved daphne

Daphne gnidium

Mezereon

Daphne mezereum

Mezereon loses its leaves in winter and flowers on completely bare wood before the leaves appear, whereas the Mediterranean flax-leaved daphne keeps narrow evergreen foliage and flowers on stems that are already in leaf.

🌿 Other Thymelaeaceae to discover

Mezereon

Daphne mezereum

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.