A tough, broadleaf-evergreen Mediterranean shrub grown across the warm-climate United States for its long summer-to-fall season of showy pink, white, red, or salmon flowers and its near-indestructible tolerance of heat, drought, salt, and reflected pavement glare. It forms a clumping, erect, rounded multi-stemmed shrub that commonly stands 6-12 feet tall (and can be trained much taller) with narrow leathery deep-green leaves. The catch is severe: every part of the plant is highly toxic — ingestion of even small amounts can be fatal to people, pets, and livestock, and the smoke from burning prunings is hazardous — so it is a strictly look-but-never-touch ornamental.