Can anyone help to identify this pest please. It is a bush that grows quickly to 5 meters across and 3 meters tall. Has a spreading branch system that roots where it touches the ground. 10 leaves evenly spaced in opposite pairs. Corner 24 kills the existing growth but it springs up again from the same roots. Here's some pics:

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And here's another pic:

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Looks a bit like Hollyoak Pete.  I'll check with my expert.  What's Corner 24 ?

Not hollyoak unfortunately, got lots of that too. These leaves are like olive tree leaves, smooth edged with no obvious veins.
Corner 24 is a systemic herbicide available in many agrobots hereabouts.

Hi Pete,
I'm sticking with my opinion re Hollyoak and it's been backed up by several experts I've shown the pics to.  Don't forget that it goes through different stages of growth including small holly shaped leaves, acorns and berries all of which can be present on an established plant at the same time but not on newly emerged ones.  Re Corner 24:-  Difficult to find info on it but I did find this "Mode of action Selective contact herbicide, absorbed more readily by the foliage (and especially the shoots) than by the roots, with very little translocation."  This would explain why the foliage is dying but not the roots.  Most people use Glyphosate for general weed killing.

Hi Bigyin, I know the plant because it's one my finca too. But I know very little about plants and the name hollyoak is intreging. So I did what I always do if I don't know an english name: google on pictures.

Well Pete if this is what you have on the finca I think You can sell it without any cedula  ;D
http://2darts.blogspot.com/2006/12/hollyoaks.html

Regards,
Mark

Plant ID

This plant is the shrub Pistacia lentiscus, sometimes also called mastic or lentisk.  It is an evergreen shrub which is particularly drought resistant and grows well on dry, well drained scrubby land. It has the advantage of growing into well shaped shrubs and even small trees and can easily withstand hard pruning and shearing. The female plants have small red berries which later turn black and are much loved by birds which is why you normally find so many seedlings under trees, especially carob trees.

Its leathery leaves and deep roots make it particularly difficult to spray into oblivion, so I would suggest that you take a sample to your local agrobotiga and ask their advice
how to get rid of it. 

Hi Pete,
Just realised that I'd missed your post at 11:01 as I was probably composing mine of 11:16 at the time.  If you're happy that it's not Hollyoak as you have those too then Colin is probably right.

Thanks for your help folks. It is the Mastic Tree, easy to confirm once you have a name to go on. The internet isn't very helpful at suggestions for killing it, everyone seems to want to grow it!. Maybe I should start a nursery as I have hundreds of 'em. It's used for medicines but don't know if it would keep water out.
That reminds me... did you hear about the prostitute who didn't know the difference between vaseline and putty?
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All her windows fell out!