Plant of the day is: Aextoxicon puncatum

Habitat/Range:  A species endemic to the Valdivian temperate rain forests of Chile and Argentina.  These are a fairly common and native tree of these absolutely beautiful forests that I would like to visit some day.  The are usually found on the southern side of Chile's Pacific coast.  In those environments, they receive moisture most days with the longest spells without water usually only a month.  Populations of this plant (and I DUG for this tidbit :)...) are so disjunctive due to tectonic shifts in the late Tertiary period that split them up.  Kinda neat.

Taxonomy:  This is the next 'A' family to go and boy is it absurd.  Aextoxicaceae.  Really rolls of the tongue right?  The good news is that once I know this species I'm done with the family.  Aextoxicon puncatum is the sole member of family.  Pretty neato.  Just like a Ginkgo.  Bad rhyme, cool plant.

Culture:  This tree makes up the canopy of the aforementioned forests and can receive a lot of direct light OR a fair bit of shade as it is growing up to takes its place in that roll.  To handle the broad range of light it has a pretty waxy leaf, which you can see in pictures.  This both protects from the sun and limits moisture loss.  It prefers moist, well drained soils...like ...in a rain forest.  It IS actually hardy to zone 8 temperatures I think I saw down to -10C.  It can also handle short periods being covered in snow.  I'm not sure I've seen this growing anywhere in the states (could be one right here in STL and I might not know)...if anyone sees on or knows of one PLEASE let me know.

Morphology:  Well, it is a dioecious plant and as such has male and female flowers on different plants.  The flowers are ...interesting and difficult to describe.  They produce a fruit that is a drupe (think...cherry) that is kind of bluish black and doesn't look at all edible.  The leaves are slightly hairy and a bit glossy (or pubescent).  The main vector for pollination is believed to be wind.  Leaves are alternate to sub-opposite and do have a little bit of a petiole.

Bottom line:  Seems a neat tree, it is one that has been studied with great interest and ultimately I'll definitely have to come back and read up on some of the finer details of its ecological relationships.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aextoxicon