About Maytenus magellanica (Lam.) Hook.fil.
Maytenus magellanica (Lam.) Hook.fil. has alternate leaves, with petioles 2–6 mm long. Its leaves are elliptic-lanceolate, 2–6 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide, thick and leathery, with attenuate apexes and bases, and irregularly toothed margins. It has reddish, deciduous stipules. Flowers are either hermaphrodite or unisexual, growing in groups of 2–3 in leaf axils. Flowers have five sepals around 1 mm long, and five wine-colored petals 2–3.5 mm long. Male flowers have a reduced ovary and five stamens. Female flowers have an ovoid ovary that ends in a short style, which in turn terminates in flat, bilobed stigmas. The fruit is a capsule 6–8 mm long and 5 mm wide, with two valves that hold 1 to 2 seeds each. This shrub is relatively widespread, and can tolerate the harsh, wind-exposed conditions of Patagonia, including the rocky soils of Patagonian steppes. It is distributed across southern Chile and Argentina, ranging as far south as the cold climate of Tierra del Fuego. One recorded northern occurrence of the species is in the habitat surrounding Cueva del Milodon Natural Monument. It is planted as an ornamental tree. Since its native range includes subpolar Tierra del Fuego, the species' hardiness is valued, and it has been successfully introduced to the Faroe Islands.
