''Crinodendron brasiliense'', known as the cinzeiro, is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

shrub to tree in the family

Elaeocarpaceae Elaeocarpaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family contains approximately 615 species of trees and shrubs in 12 genera."Elaeocarpaceae" In: Klaus Kubitzki (ed.). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' vol. VI. Springer-Verlag: Ber ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, growing only in the Serra Geral mountain range, specifically within Santa Catarina. It has the narrowest distribution of all '' Crinodendron'' species and is classified as an endangered species.

Description

''Crinodendron brasiliense'' is a shrub or tree reaching up to in height and having a trunk up to in diameter. Leaves alternate on each side of the stem, usually grouped at the ends of branches. The leaves are dark green above and a lighter green below, with a

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

shape, toothed edges, and acute

apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics) A-Bomb Abomination Absorbing Man Abraxas Abyss Abyss is the name of two characters appearing in Ameri ...

. The flowers are

hermaphroditic A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...

, solitary (not part of an

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

axillary Axillary means "related to the axilla (armpit)" or "related to the leaf axils". "Axillary" may refer to: Biology * Axillary artery * Axillary border * Axillary fascia * Axillary feathers * Axillary hairs * Axillary lines * Axillary lymph nodes ...

, and white.

Pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

s range from 3–6 cm long. Fruits are reddish when mature and have capsules with 3 valves. A recent study found the narrow distribution and small population size of the species might be linked to its low

germination rate Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, fe ...

(0.003 to 0.004).

Derivation of scientific name

The Latin generic name ''Crinodendron'' is a compound of the Ancient Greek words κρίνον (krínon) "lily" and δένδρον (dendrón) "tree", the "lily" element being inspired by the white-flowered '' C. patagua''. The specific name ''brasiliense'' refers to the country the species was discovered (

). The genus ''Crinodendron'' is small, containing only four species.

Common names in Brazil

The plant has the name 'cinzeiro' (ashtray) or 'cinzeiro-patagua', an allusion to the fact that the species produces a lot of ash (low heat efficiency) when burned.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15336560 Elaeocarpaceae Endemic flora of Brazil Trees of Brazil