Tree, evergreen, hermaphrodite, up to 20 m in height with an umbrella shape. Branching very peculiar, since the tree has one straight trunk that does not begin to branch until the first flowering (which can occur in 10 to 15 years); or due to other circumstances, but always when having reached some degree of maturity, it only then loses its only vegetative terminal bud, and 2-6 buds will then result in the first branching. Cultivated specimens sometimes become really large without ever branching. Bark silver, bright in the stems of young trees, ashy-brown and fissured in old trunks; the branches are dotted with the scars left by falling leaves, scars that gradually disappear as the branches grow in diameter. In older trees often aerial roots hang from the branches. Leaves grouped in dense rosettes on the terminal end of each branch; closely linear-lanceolate (40-60 \u00d7 2-3 cm), sessile, coriaceous, glabrous, flexible, very acute, but not prickly, green-ashy in colour, reddish-orange at the base. Inflorescence branched in terminal or subterminal racemes. Flowers hermaphrodite, small (15-25 mm in diameter), with only one whorl of 6 sepals, white-pink or white-yellowish. Stamens 6, expanded with the sepals. Anthers yellow or greenish. Fruit globose berry 1-1.5 cm in diameter, with reddish-orange skin, coriaceous and bright. Inside it usually bears one seed (rarely 2) globose, with a smooth surface.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-11847","species","type-species","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n