Aiken SC on University of South Carolina Campus. Located in a sparse, hilly, sunny, kaolin soil, possibly once planted pines cleared 10 or more years ago. Picture taken December 2nd 2021. Appears to have needles as leaves, evergreen.
Hi Jeff,
this is a wonderful and uncommon shrub often called rosemary locally, but it is not related to the cultivated rosemary. It just looks a bit like it. It is Ceratiola ericoides, usually found in xeric turkey oak woods. It is dioecious, and I suppose, the only member of its family in South Carolina, the Empetraceae. Good find!
Sincerely,
Dr. Steven Hill, Botanist, SCNPS