Rhamnus prinoides

Rhamnus prinoides, commonly the shiny-leaf or blinkblaar (shiny leaf) in Afrikaans, may be a shrub or small tree commonly reaching heights around 4 m, rarely 7 m (SA Tree List No. 452). It may scramble into taller surrounding vegetation.

The leaves are spirally arranged, shaped elliptically. The upper leaf surface is conspicuously glossy green with distinct net-veining. The leaves are finely toothed or scalloped along the upper parts.

The flowers are small and greenish, appearing in axillary clusters in spring and summer.

The species distribution range is large, including all nine South African provinces, although absent from the western parts of the westerly provinces, the Western Cape, the Northern Cape and North West.

The habitat is evergreen forest margins, watercourses, inland scrub forest and grassland at medium to high elevations. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; http://redlist.sanbi.org).