Leaf
Jean-Pascal Milcent, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Mock privet
Phillyrea latifolia L.
Also known as: Green olive tree, Broad-leaved phillyrea
Family: Oleaceae
2 to 5 m tall
Garrigue, evergreen hedges, dry gardens, chalky soils
Flowering: April – May
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to -12°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
A Mediterranean cousin of the olive, it makes excellent drought-resistant clipped hedging.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, oval, leathery, toothed, glossy dark green
🌸 Flowers
Tiny cream-white flowers in small clusters, inconspicuous
🍎 Fruits
Small blue-black drupes
🪵 Bark
Grey bark, grey-brown shoots, dense habit
🗺️ Distribution
Mediterranean; found in the maquis and garrigue of southern France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Small, inconspicuous but nectar-rich flowers, visited by bees in spring.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted as a clipped hedge or in a Mediterranean border; evergreen foliage appreciated as an alternative to box.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
🌿 Other Oleaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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