''Drimys brasiliensis'' is a broadleaf evergreen tree of family

Winteraceae Winteraceae is a primitive family of tropical trees and shrubs including 93 species in five genera. It is of particular interest because it is such a primitive angiosperm family, distantly related to Magnoliaceae, though it has a much more south ...

. it is native to Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, western Paraguay, and northwestern Argentina, and to

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

.''Drimys brasiliensis'' Miers
''Plants of the World Online'', Kew Science. Accessed 6 November 2022.

Description

''Drimys brasiliensis'' is an evergreen shrub or small tree. It grows from 2 to eight meters high, with a dense rounded crown. It has a short cylindrical bole up to 30 to 40 cm in diameter. It has white flowers.Drimys brasiliensis
Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. Accessed 6 November 2022. It typically grows as a shrub in the northern, tropical part of its range, and can grow taller and more tree-like in the southern, sub-tropical portion of its range.

Range and habitat

''Drimys brasiliensis'' grows in eastern Brazil, ranging from the northeast to the southeast, along with the adjacent areas of western

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

and northwestern

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

(

Misiones Province Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the Provinces of Argentina, 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia, Argentina, Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil ...

). It is also found in

. It is characteristic of the Atlantic Forest, generally found in highlands in the northern tropical portion of the range, and at lower elevations in the subtropical south. It is found in rain forest, dryland forest, and savanna habitats. It is a common canopy tree in the montane

cloud forests A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, ...

of the

Serra do Mar coastal forests The Serra do Mar coastal forests is an ecoregion of the tropical moist forests biome. It is part of the Atlantic Forest of eastern South America. This ecoregion has an outstanding biodiversity consisting of flora, mammals, birds, and herpetofa ...

of southeastern Brazil.de Barcellos Falkenberg, D., Voltolini, J.C. (1995). The Montane Cloud Forest in Southern Brazil. In: Hamilton, L.S., Juvik, J.O., Scatena, F.N. (eds) ''Tropical Montane Cloud Forests''. Ecological Studies, vol 110. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2500-3_8

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized: * ''Drimys brasiliensis'' subsp. ''brasiliensis'' * ''Drimys brasiliensis'' subsp. ''subalpina'' Ehrend., Silberb.-Gottsb. & Gottsb. * ''Drimys brasiliensis'' subsp. ''sylvatica'' (A.St.-Hil.) Ehrend., Silberb.-Gottsb. & Gottsb.

Uses

The bark is aromatic, with antiscorbutic, antispasmodic, astringent, diaphoretic, stomachic, and tonic properties. It is used to treat intestinal colic and various other digestive disorders and chronic catarrh. The wood is easily-worked, moderately heavy, and fragrant. It has low durability when exposed to elements, and is used for interior carpentry, boxes, etc. The wood is also used for fuel and to make charcoal.

References

{{Taxonbar, from= Q17246744 brasiliensis Flora of Bolivia Flora of Brazil Flora of Paraguay Flora of the Atlantic Forest