Embothrium coccineum

The Chilean firetree or Chilean firebush is in the Proteaceae family and is native the temperate forests of Chile and Argentina in South America. It is a small tree up to 16 m tall.

• Evergreen leaves alternate or whorled, ovate or lanceolate, 4-12 cm long x 1.5-2.5 cm wide, entire margin, acute base, acute to rounded apex, bluish-green upper surface, white ashy white, glabrous petiole 0.5-1 cm long, reddish deciduous stipules.
• Hermaphrodite flowers are brilliant crimson-scarlet or orange-scarlet, developing in May-June in terminal and axillary racemes; pedicels are 7-10 mm long; the floral envelope is not differentiated into calyx and corolla but consists of a perianth which is tubular through most of its length but ovoid at the apex, splitting during flowering into 4 strap-shaped, recurved segments; it has 4 sessile stamens in the cup-shaped tips of the segments; ovary is narrow, with a long style.
• Fruit a follicle, woody when mature, crowned by the persistent style and containing numerous winged seeds.
• Bark is dark grey with light spots and the wood is light pink in color.