Rhamnus glandulosa

A medium-sized evergreen tree, generally 5-8 m tall with a short trunk up to 40 cm in diameter and dense foliage. The bark is dark brown (reddish on new branches) and has characteristic, almost white, vertical cracks. With age, these cracks become wider and deeper, and some begin to emanate a sap that becomes reddish in contact with the air, giving the tree its Spanish name of sanguino, or 'the bloody tree'. It can be distinguished by its small, simple, alternate leaves, 4-7 cm long by 2.5-4 cm wide, that have a finely serrated margin, several pronounced glands next to the main nerve reminiscent of those on the stinkwood (Ocotea foetens), although the leaves of that tree have an entire margin. The blade is somewhat leathery and has very clear veins. It is almost ovate or rounded in shape, with a pointed tip. The leaf stalks are channelled and reddish-green. The blossom is very abundant but rather inconspicuous. The tree mainly blooms in the winter, producing numerous small, greenish flowers grouped into upright clusters. The fruits are fleshy, round, a little more than 1 cm in diameter, and reddish, although the part most exposed to the sun usually becomes darker. When ripe, they tend to split into three parts, releasing ochre- or pale coffee-coloured seeds.