Til (Ocotea foetens)

Well-developed, tall tree, dense foliage, which can grow up to 30-40 m in ideal conditions. Bark is dark and rough, with thick lenticels (corky spots). Leaves are oblong-lanceolate to ovate, 5-12 cm long, dark green, shiny, with two or three glands protruding at the base. Flowers are whitish-green and fruits are fleshy and acorn-like, similar to the holm oak and cork trees (Quercus spp.). Native to Macaronesia, it grows naturally in Madeira and the Canary Islands and was introduced into the Azores. In the Canaries it is found in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro. However, very few wild specimens survive on El Hierro and one was planted in the former location of the legendary Garoé or holy tree. At present, it is very sporadic in Gran Canaria (Los Tilos de Moya). Typical of moist evergreen forests (high soil and atmospheric moisture) and distributed from 400-1,000 m altitude (in Madeira up to 1,500 m), especially in deep valleys and the well-developed soils of ravine beds. The wood was much used in the past in traditional construction and furniture-making.