Pau-branco  (Picconia azorica)

The pau-branco is classified as Endangered (EN B1 + 2c) on the IUCN Red List 2004 (1) and is listed in Annex II of the EC Habitats Directive (2).

A shrub species, the pau-branco has a distinctive greyish or silvery sheen to its leaves, which are opposite each other on the stems. It is a flowering plant, producing a fleshy fruit (3).

Endemic to the islands of the Azores, the pau-branco was previously found on every island except Graciosa, but is now extinct, or nearing extinction, on many of them (1).

The pau-branco is found scattered through coastal forests which now consist mainly of introduced species (1).

The pau-branco has flowers with the organs of both sexes, and produces fleshy berry-like fruits (3).

Habitat degradation and logging for timber have led to the loss of this species on many of the islands it had previously inhabited (1).

No specific conservation action has been targeted at this species, but its inclusion in the EC Habitats Directive means that it has been recognised that for successful conservation of the pau-branco, the designation of special areas of conservation is necessary (2).

For further information on this plant family see Heywood, V.W. (1978) Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford.