Magellans mayten

Description

Magellans mayten (Maytenus magellanica)  (hard log mayten; leña dura in Spanish) is a small evergreen tree from the genus Maytenus, up to 5 meters (16 ft), in the Celastraceae. It grows in southern Argentina and Chile from 36ºS to Cape Horn (56ºS). Leaves alternate, petiole 2–6 mm long, leaves are elliptic-lanceolate 2–6 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide, thick and leathery, apex and base are attenuate, irregularly toothed margins. Reddish and deciduous stipules. Flowers are hermaphrodite or unisexual, in groups of 2–3 in the axils; five sepals about 1 mm long; five petals wine colored in 2–3.5 mm, ovary reduced in male flowers with five stamens; in female, the ovoid ovary ends in a short style and this in its turn, in flat bi-lobed stigmas. Fruit capsule 6–8 long and 5 mm wide, two valves which contain 1 to 2 seeds.