Daphne mezereum

This is a small shrub with rugose branches that have pinkish-grey bark. In spring, they are covered in countless sessile flowers that are strongly-scented and bright pink. The leaves, which appear after flowering, are lanceolate and united in apical tufts to the branches. Fruits are bright red, spherical drupes located under the leaf tufts. The whole plant is poisonous and can be fatal if a certain number of fruits are ingested. Its bark (alcoholic extract) was once used in popular medicine to treat rheumatic pain, although today, its medicinal use is not recommended. The name of the genus comes from the Greek "daphne" or laurel, due to the similarity of the leaves of the two plants, whilst its specific name seems to come from Arabic and means "fatal", with reference to the plant’s extreme toxicity.