An evergreen shrub or sometimes a small tree up to 5 m tall with simple, entire, leathery, dark green, oppositely arranged leaves. Scented creamy-white flowers are borne at the leaf axils in spring and summer, and are followed by purplish black berries. It is easily confused with Olive, but the fruits are much smaller.

It has a graceful open shape, with slender, more or less upright and generally flexible branches, and a short trunk that soon branches. Phillyrea makes an excellent hedge, screen or windbreak. It is suitable for coastal gardens and can survive extreme exposure to wind. At Cape St. Vincent in the south-western tip of Portugal, it grows close to the ground in a dense carpet.

For hedging, plant it at 50-100 cm spacing depending on the initial plant size, your budget and level of patience to make an attractive hedge.

It is indifferent to soil type and can survive on sandy to clayey substrates, as well as those that are poor in nutrients and organic matter. Native to the western and central Mediterranean.

Phillyrea is a genus of only two species in the Olive family, the other being P. latifolia. Both species are available from the nursery.