Osyris alba, common name Osyris, is a small perennial plant in the genus Osyris, belonging to the Santalaceae family. Osyris alba is a semi-parasitic (hemiparasitic) broom-like shrub reaching 30–150 centimetres in height. The stem is woody, brown or dark green, sometimes creeping on the ground. This plant has numerous longitudinally striated branches, green when young. The leaves are linear, lanceolate, coriaceous, persistent, although sometimes deciduous. They are about 15–35 millimetres long and 1–5 millimetres wide. They are produced during the winter while in summer they are almost totally absent. The flowers are hermaphroditic or unisexual, in the latter case, the male and female flowers show differences associated with the timing of pollination. They are very small (1 or 2 mm), with four yellow-green tepals and four stamens. Flowering period extends from March and June. The fruits are small red fleshy drupes, 4–6 millimetres in diameter. Their roots form haustoria that tap into the roots of nearby plants and extract their sap. The species is widespread in all countries of the Mediterranean basin, from southern Portugal to Turkey. This xerophilous species lives in arid and semi-desert areas, in sunny areas at altitudes of between 0–1,110 metres above sea level. In favorable climates it can also push up to 1,800 metres.