Peralillo (Maytenus canariensis)

Highly branched tree or shrub, to 8 m, perennial foliage and dark bark. Leaves are subcoriaceous, obovate, the older leaves are dark green and the young light green, glossy, up to 7 cm long and similar to those of the Pyrus communis. Flowers are small, white or greenish-yellow, clustered in the axils of the branches. Fruits are 3-celled, initially green and light brown when ripe. This endemic of the Canaries is found on all the islands (except Lanzarote), but is very rare in Fuerteventura. One of the most characteristic thermophilous species, it tends to prefer rocky surfaces, is generally scarce but can be locally common. Its distribution area is between 100 and 1,000 m, but it thrives from 150-500 m, on the lower edges of evergreen woodland, in transition zones with pine forests and in ravines that cut through this woodland.