Deciduous shrub, branched, thorny, generally 1-2 m tall. Thick branches with grayish-silver bark, reddish-brown lateral branches, ending in a rigid thorn. Simple leaves, petiolate and serrulate margin. White flowers in groups of 2-4, or solitary. Fruit drupe type. It is a Betic endemism that grows in any type of soil although it prefers limestone soils.