Rhamnus lycioides is a slow growth shrub adapted to dry Mediterranean climate. It is a deciduous or evergreen shrub of 1.5–3 meters high with a tangled, thorny, and many-branched form. The bark is grayish, and the young stems are topped with a thorn. Leaves are light green and, 0.5 to 3.5 centimeters long and 0.3 to 1 inch wide.
An ideal soil would be made up of 45% minerals (sand, clay, silt), 5 % organic (plant and animal) material, 25% air and 25% water. The mineral portion would be loam (20 – 30% clay, 30 – 50% silt and 30 – 50% sand).
Having a branching plant in the garden is not always ideal, so if you see that it is necessary, you can prune your Rhamnus lycoides at the end of winter. Cut off the dry, diseased, weak or broken branches, and you can also remove those from the trunk if you want it to acquire the shape of a tree.
