Scutia myrtina leaves

The simple leaves of Scutia myrtina grow opposite or more commonly sub-opposite on stalks of 3 mm to 10 mm. The tiny stipules next to the petiole bases fall early.

The leaf-shape is ovate to elliptic. The tip is rounded to broadly tapering, often notched and a terminal bristle usually present. The base tapers or is rounded. The margins are entire or occasionally scalloped, wavy and often rolled under.

The deep green to bright green blades are leathery and glossy. Pale cream lateral veins ascend from the midribs and curve in, not reaching the margins but joining the next higher vein. Leaf dimensions are from 2 cm to 6 cm by 1,5 cm to 4 cm.

The yellowish to whitish green flowers are bisexual and scented, growing in small clusters from leaf axils. The floral parts are in fives, the petals shorter than the sepals. The stamens are as long as the petals and the superior ovary two to four-chambered. The flowers become 4 mm in diameter. Flowering happens from spring to after midsummer.

The fleshy fruit is an almost spherical, berry-like drupe in a cup-shaped calyx. It starts off pale greenish yellow, turning purplish to black when ripe from midsummer to early winter. The taste is astringent, the fruits mainly eaten by birds and children. The seeds, usually solitary, germinate easily (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Pooley, 1993).