The narrow-leaved mock privet, also called “labiérnago” in Spanish, is an evergreen shrub native to the western Mediterranean, related to the olive tree, with narrow, dark leaves and fruits in the form of small drupes similar to olives.
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Lamiales |
| Family | Oleaceae |
| Genus | Phillyrea |
| Species | Phillyrea angustifolia |
The narrow-leaved mock privet is an evergreen shrub reaching between 2 and 3 metres in height. Its leaves are simple, opposite and evergreen, about 6 cm long, dark green and with entire margins, which gives it a compact, dense appearance.
Its flowers are white, with four sepals and four petals. The fruit is a fleshy drupe that resembles a miniature olive, a resemblance that is no coincidence, as the narrow-leaved mock privet belongs to the same botanical family as the olive tree itself, the Oleaceae.
It is a species native to the western Mediterranean, occurring naturally in Italy, Spain and France. In Spain it forms part of the Mediterranean understorey, mixed with holm oaks, kermes oaks or cork oaks, well adapted to the dry climate and calcareous soils.
The Spanish name “olivilla” (“little olive”) refers directly to its kinship with the olive tree, which it resembles in the look of its dark, elongated leaves and in the shape of its fruit. In Spanish it also has other popular names such as labiérnago or olivillo.
