Osyris lanceolata aka Rock Tanninbush

Osyris lanceolata is a shrub or small tree that stays green year-round. It belongs to Santalaceae, the sandalwood family. Its native range takes in the Canary Islands and southern Iberia. It also grows in the Balearic Islands, Africa, and Socotra. In Asia, its range spans the Indian subcontinent. It reaches southern China and Indochina. Kew classes this shrub as hemiparasitic.

Its size and shape vary across this wide range. One source gives a height of about 16 feet [5 metres]. Broader accounts give 4–30 feet [1.2–9 metres]. The extremes reach near 46 feet [14 metres]. The trunk base can reach 2–3 feet [0.6–0.9 metres] across. Leaves grow in turn along the stems, rather than in pairs. Gardeners grow it for the contrast between bark and leaves. Its loose, untidy shape can limit use in small gardens.

Plants may bloom and bear fruit all year. Most carry both male flowers and flowers with both sexes. The round, bright red fruits are drupes. Each can measure about 0.4 inches [0.01 metres] across. People eat the fruit. Some accounts, though, call it food for times of need. People steam the leaves, then dry them in shade for tea. They also use roots and bark in teas and soups. Young leaves poison goats. These food uses do not show that every plant part is safe.

This plant grows slowly and needs shade from nurse trees when young. It favours soil rich in humus that drains well. Reported soils include clay and loam. It grows in dry mountain forests, scrub, and rocky thickets. It also grows by forests and in grassland. Records span warm temperate zones and tropical highlands. Sites get about 24–63 inches [0.6–1.6 metres] of rain each year. Sow fresh seed, as it soon loses its power to sprout. Nicking the seed base can help it sprout.

The scented roots and wood yield oil for perfume. People also grind the wood for incense. The heavy, hard wood serves for carvings, tools, poles, and fuel. Bark yields tannins; roots yield dye and fibres for baskets. In folk medicine, people use roots and bark for several complaints. These include diarrhoea, poor digestion, and bleeding after childbirth. Such uses do not prove that these treatments work or are safe. Digging up roots for costly oil has left fewer wild plants. The supplied account calls for growing this plant to ease that pressure.