Delfino, marmulano (Pleiomeris canariensis)

Evergreen tree, up to 10-15 m tall. Tends to form small groups that reproduce asexually through stolons from one or several main plants. Branches are green with lenticels. Large leaves (up to 15-20 cm long, the largest of any tree in the Canary Islands evergreen forests), broad, similar to those of the magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), elliptic to oblong, rather tough and shiny, prominent main vein and short leaf stalk. Flowers are small, whitish-green and appear dotted along the branches. Fruits are almost round, pinkish to purple, fleshy and small (5-7 mm wide). Native to the Canary Islands and found in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma, it is only widespread in Tenerife and extremely rare and highly localized in the rest. Typical of thermophile forests and evergreen glades, appears between 300 and 1,000 m altitude, generally on remote rocky crags and cliffs. Pleiomeris is a native monospecific genus, which can be considered a Tertiary relict.