Passerina ericoides
Passerina ericoides, the Christmas berry, is a threatened species of plant in the family Thymelaeaceae, genus "Passerina". It is indigenous to the coastal fynbos areas in and around the city of Cape Town, South Africa. Description and biology. "Passerina ericoides" is a shrub typically up to 1 metre high, with narrow, slightly succulent, leaves some two to three mm long, its flowers are greenish-yellow to reddish, and are subtended by leaflike bracts. Unlike most species of "Passerina", the plant bears fleshy orange or red berries. They taste nasty, but are harmless and look very attractive. Tortoises eat  them and presumably spread their seed in their droppings. For that reason one of the common names is "skilpadbessie" (Afrikaans for "tortoise berry", a name shared with various other plants such as "Nylandtia" and "Chironia baccifera".) Uses. "Passerina ericoides" is an excellent plant for stabilising mobile sand dunes. Its strong, extensive roots bind the sand, and send up shoots elsewhere to do likewise. It also is a rewarding, "water wise" plant for coastal gardens. It can be propagated by seed or by cuttings.