Spurge Olive. This is a good plant for areas that receive/or hold little or no water. A small and compact evergreen shrub with glossy leathery green leaves that resemble those of an Olive. The leaves develop an attractive tinge of red in summer. Small bright yellow cross-shaped flowers usually appear in spring (insect pollinated) and are followed by red fruits that eventually dry to black - evidently of little value to mankind, so maybe valuable for wildlife, there is good evidence that seed distribution is by lizards and small carnivorous mammals. It has a compact habit up to 60 cm tall and maybe twice as wide, making it a good candidate for evergreen ground cover. It can be trimmed and used for hedging, a useful alterative to traditional species such as Box and Myrtle. It is also suggested to use it as under-planting on the edge of tree canopy, particularly western facing edges, where the soils are dry and exposed to solar radiation. It is frost hardy to -5C.