Mortonia scabrella  Sandpaper Bush
EVERGREEN SHRUB.  Erect, thin, flexible branches have tiny thick oval leaves that curve upward and overlap like scales.  Leaves are olive green with whitish edges, feel rough to the touch, and have a distinctive sulphurous odor.  White flowers borne in clusters at the ends of stems; blooms for most of the year after rain.  Usually on carbonate rocsk but occasionally on caliche-rich gravel.  Very common in the Empires in chaparral communities on limestone and marble.
FAMILY:  Celastraceae (Bittersweet Family)