Forestiera pubescens aka Stretchberry

Forestiera pubescens is a leafy shrub in the olive family. Common names include desert olive, New Mexico olive, and stretchberry. Its native range spans the west-central and southwestern United States. It also reaches northern Mexico. Oregon State lists California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. The range also includes Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. This shrub sheds its leaves rather than keeping them year-round.

In gardens, it grows about 3–10 feet (0.9–3 metres) tall. Virginia Tech gives a taller limit of 15 feet (4.6 metres). Its form is rounded and upright, with several stems. Dense growth can form thickets, and some branches droop. The stiff side branches give the shrub a thorny look. These short branches grow in opposite pairs along slender twigs. The twigs range from gray-brown to greenish brown. Small, pale lenticels mark their surface. The pointed buds have a light reddish-brown tone. Smooth bark ranges from pale brown to gray.

The simple leaves grow in opposite pairs or clusters. Their shapes range from oval to narrow and lance-like. Some widen toward the tip rather than the base. Virginia Tech gives leaf lengths of one to two inches. The upper surface is green, with a paler underside. Oregon State describes the leaves as leathery. Leaf edges may be smooth or bear small teeth. The leaves contrast with the shrub's rigid, closely branched stems.

Small flowers open before the leaves appear. This timing makes them easier to see on bare branches. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Male flowers are yellow, while female flowers are green. The flowers lack petals and cluster where leaves join stems. The fruit is an oval drupe, about one-quarter inch long. Its color ranges from dark blue to purple-black. A pale waxy coating covers the fruit's surface. Tight fruit clusters sit close to the stems. They ripen in early summer.

Oregon State recommends sun and sandy soil for cultivation. It also reports that the shrub needs little water. The species is hardy to USDA Zone 4. Its rounded shape and dense branches define its garden form. Bare stems show the small flowers before leaf growth begins. Dark fruit adds a later feature near the stems.