An evergreen unarmed shrub 7 or 8 ft high against a wall; young shoots slightly downy at first, with numerous resin-glands. Leaves ovate or oval, 3⁄4 to 13⁄4 in. long, 1⁄2 to 11⁄4 in. wide, rounded at the base, blunt at the apex, coarsely toothed, glossy and glabrous above, almost or quite devoid of down beneath, but thickly sown with resin-dots which emit a very pleasant turpentine-like odour when rubbed; stalk downy, 1⁄8 to 1⁄6 in. long. Flowers 1⁄3 in. across, produced in April in erect racemes about 1 in. long, terminating short, densely leafy shoots; dull rose-coloured, the sepals spreading. Fruits oval, red, 1⁄3 in. long. Bot. Mag., t. 8094.
Native of Lower California and Santa Catalina Island; introduced to Kew in 1897 but is no longer there. A remarkably distinct species, of little beauty, but interesting for its evergreen aromatically scented leaves. It is tender.