Schinus terebinthifolius

Medium-sized tree, about 5-7 m high, very leafy, evergreen or semi-evergreen, with wide branching and a very polymorphous crown.
Its trunk is short and thick, and the branches are woody, brittle and covered with greyish-brown bark.
Its large, deep green leaves, 8-20 cm long, are alternate, imparipinnate, with 7-13 leaflets up to 8 cm long, more or less oblong, smooth, somewhat leathery, shiny and serrated or entire at the edges.

It produces very small, greenish-white flowers, grouped in panicular inflorescences.
Its abundant and showy fruits are spherical drupes of an intense red colour and about 5 mm in diameter, containing a single seed about 3 mm long, hard, elliptical to reniform, and light brown in colour.
Flowering occurs during the spring and summer months, with fruit ripening during autumn and winter.
It multiplies by seed and also by cuttings.

This tree is native to subtropical and tropical areas of South America, southeastern Brazil, northern Argentina and Paraguay, from where it has spread to many subtropical regions of the world due to its undeniable ornamental qualities.
Among these regions are the Canary Islands, where it is relatively common in landscaped lowland areas.