Javelina bush Javelina bush

Microrhamnus ericoides A. Gray, Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 34. 1852

Shrubs, 0.3–1(–1.3) m; primary branches thorn-tipped, secondary branches thorn-tipped, with short shoots and some tertiary thorns, glabrous; internodes 1–2(–4) mm. Leaves: petiole 0–0.1 mm; blade linear, 2–13 × 1 mm, coriaceous, margins entire, appearing revolute, apex short-acute, surfaces glabrous; venation not evident. Inflorescences on short shoots, 1–6-flowered. Pedicels 1–2.5 mm. Flowers: petals 5, yellow. Drupes ellipsoid-globose to ellipsoid-fusiform, 7–12 mm; stones 1(–2)-seeded.

Flowering Mar–Sep. Sand hills, gypsum hills, eroded clay breaks, limestone talus slopes, ridge and mesa tops, rocky flats, dry streambeds, shrublands, grasslands, pastures, roadsides, roadcuts; 400–1600 m; Ariz., N.Mex., Tex.; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas).