A small, evergreen shrub of 20 to 50 cm – Green, hairless, cylindrical, ribbed stems with branches, covered in shoots that look like tough leaves (similar to holly) with a sharp tip. These sessile (without a peduncle) false leaves (cladodes) have a small purplish-green flower, connected by an axillary peduncle attached to the branch up to a third of its length – Fruit: a small red berry with one or two yellow seeds – An oblique shaped, trailing rhizome, white-grey in colour, with brownish roots with a mild odour of turpentine and a sweet flavour followed by a bitter aftertaste.