Matelea parvifolia is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family 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 centimeters 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 centimeters long.