Forestiera pubescens Nutt.
Stretchberry, desert olive, tanglewood, devil’s elbow, elbow bush, spring goldenglow, spring herald, New Mexico privet, Texas forsythia
New Mexico privet is native to much of the American southwest.
Plants: These shrubs are deciduous, roughly round in shape, and 3–10′ (91–304 cm) in size. The bark is tan to gray in color.
Leaves: Simple, mostly opposite or in clusters. Leaves are elliptic or lanceolate to ovate, and leatherlike. They are ¼–1¾ ⨉ ¾–1¼″ (9–48 mm ⨉ 2.2–3.1 cm) in size, with smooth edges or minute crenate teeth.
Flowers: Male (staminate) flowers are about ⅛″ (3 mm) in size, and yellow-greenish, aging reddish; while female (pistillate) flowers, ⅛″ (4 mm) in sizel, are greenish, aging orangish. Branchlets have 3, 5, or 7 flowers. Flowers appear prior to leaves, and have no odor.
Fruits: Elliptic (roughly ollive-shaped), ⅛–3/16 ⨉ ⅛–3/16″ (4.5–5.8 ⨉ 4–5.2 mm), purple-black in color, and covered with a waxy bloom.
Habitats: Prefers rocky limestone uplands, but is found in other habitats as well.
Online References:
8/26/2014 · Sandstone Bluffs, Rte. 117, El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico 
8/26/2014 · Sandstone Bluffs, Rte. 117, El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm) 
5/22/2009 · Wupatki National Monument, Arizona 
8/27/2014 · Rio Grande Nature Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico · ≈ 15 × 10″ (37 × 25 cm) 
8/27/2014 · Rio Grande Nature Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (47 × 31 cm) 
8/27/2014 · Rio Grande Nature Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico · ≈ 13 × 10″ (32 × 25 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Lamiales | Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary |
| Family | Oleaceae | Temperate climate shrubs, trees and a few vines, include forsythia, ash, jasmine, privet, olive, lilac, and many others |
| Genus | Forestiera | Probably named for Parisian physician and botany teacher Robert Forestier (1736-1812) |
| Species | pubescens | With soft, downy hair |
Forestiera pubescens description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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