Syn.: Embothrium grandiflorum Lam., Embothrium mucronatum Willd. ex Roem. et Schult., Oreocallis mucronata (Willd. ex Roem. et Schult.) Sleumer, Oreocallis ruizii Klotzsch
Family: Proteaceae Juss.
Distribution: Andean species occurs in southern Ecuador and Peru. The genus Oreocallis is probably monotypic.
Ecology: It grows in semi-deciduous and evergreen mountain forests, in elevations from 1200 up to 3800 m.
Description: Shrub or small tree up to 6 m tall, branched, with a grey bark. Leaves alternate, petiolate, elliptic to ovate, 48–127 mm long and 16–34 mm wide, entire, glabrous. Inflorescence terminal, racemose, 70–175(–380) mm long, flowers pedunculate, irregular, long-tubular, at the end with 4 teeth, white, pink, yellow or red. Fruit is an oblong follicle.
Use: Its wood is used in the furniture industry. The crushed leaves of the tree can be used as remedy for toothache.
Note: The genus Oreocallis is a neotropical member of the Gondwanan plant family Proteaceae with the main distribution in Australia and South Africa. This family altogether includes about 1600 species, and about 90 species belong to the South American genera Embothrium, Euplassa, Guvuina, Lomatia, Orites, Panopsis and Roupala.
These images were taken in Peru, Huayna Picchu (by Jindřiška Vančurová, September 8, 2008; by Ljuba Procházková, October 2013).
