Buxo da rocha (Chamaemeles coriacea)

Chamaemeles coriacea is a monotype and a native of the archipelago of Madeira. This evergreen shrub is highly branched and up to 4 m tall; branches are reddish-chestnut. The leaves are small, obovate-spathulate, leathery (coriaceous) and brilliant green. Flowers are small, white with pinkish or red patches, clustered in axillary bunches. The fleshy ovoid fruit takes a long time to ripen after the plant has flowered. This rare thermophilic species is relegated to a few sites in Madeira, Porto Santo and Deserta Grande, where it grows on coastal cliffs, ravine walls and inland peaks, below 400 m altitude. Because of the rarity of this relict plant species, it is considered Endangered.