Saxegothaea conspicua

Prince Rupert’s yew is an evergreen coniferous tree native to South America, in Chile and Argentina a few areas in adjacent parts of westernmost Argentina from 35 to 46° South latitude and 800–1000 m in elevation, growing specifically in the Valdivian temperate rain forests. It reaches up to 25 m tall.

• The tree has one or more stems with long branches, forming a rounded crown.
• Leaves are 1.5–3 cm long and 2 mm broad, lanceolate , fairly hard with prickly spine tips, arranged in an irregular spiral; in shade, foliage is in 2 divergent planes; leaves are dark green above, and with two glaucous blue-white stomatal bands below.
• The tree is monoecious. Male pollen cones (strobili) are auxiliary, usually solitary, 4-6 mm long and 1.5 mm across.
• Seed cones are terminal, solitary, 9-12 mm diameter, comprised of 15-20 cone scales but appearing green, ripening to purple; the cone scales have a fleshy texture. Flowering is in November-December, with cones maturing in February-April.
• Bark is first brown, forming irregular, exfoliating flakes.