Evergreen,
broad-leaved tree, 1-30 m high, 2-8 dm in diameter; bark dark red, smooth,
exfoliating each year or on the oldest trunks becoming thicker and scaly, young
bark chartreuse aging to deep red, outer twigs on flowering bearing stems often
glaucous bluish; leaves oval, alternate entire or on young shoots serrulate,
coriaceous, petioled, 6-12 cm long, shiny above, grayish dull beneath;
inflorescence a panicle; corolla white, 6-10 mm long; berries globose, bright
orange-red, maturing in autumn, attractive to the birds even as they ferment;
mainly in drier areas. Beautiful
plant, highly prized in spite of the litter from the peeling bark and leaves, a
few of which fall all of the time.
