Estrelladera (Gesnouinia arborea)

Very robust small tree that grows up to 4-5 m, with more or less erect or drooping branches. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, entire, with very prominent veins, pubescent, generally 12 cm long. Inflorescences are a hanging raceme of reddish flowers, very striking when in bloom. Native to the Canary Islands, typical of evergreen and, to a lesser extent, damp or mixed pine forests. Locally plentiful in the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro, between 400 and 1,500 m altitude, but very scarce in Gran Canaria. This sun-loving plant tends to grow in forest glades, and on waysides and ravine cliff walls, where it forms dense clusters of well-developed specimens.