Matelea parvifolia (Torr.) Woodson

Matelea parvifolia (Torr.) Woodson. Matelea parvifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae known by the common names spearleaf. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in and on the edges of deserts. It is a perennial herb with a branching, twining green stem lined sparsely with heart-shaped leaves no more than 2 centimetres long. The flowers appear in the leaf axils. They are purplish or brownish green in color with a nub at each inner corner of the corolla lobes. The fruit is a long follicle which may be up to 7 centimetres long.