Oreocallis

The species is a tree or shrub which reaches heights of about . The leaves, which are arranged in a spiral pattern along the twigs, have a simple, entire blade. As is the case with many species in the Proteaceae, the leaves are highly variable. The shape of the leaves varies from narrow and elongate (lanceolate, or lance shaped) to broad and ellipse-shaped, or anything in between. The base of the leaf can be narrow or broad, and the leaf tip can be pointed or rounded. They usually range from in length, occasionally reaching lengths of , and are wide. Young leaves are often covered with dense, reddish hairs while older leaves tend to have smooth surfaces with hairs concentrated along the main veins on the lower surface of the leaf. Plants have a terminal or lateral conflorescence (a type of inflorescence). The inflorescences, which are usually long; but occasionally as much as , bear flowers that can be white, pink, yellow or red in colour. The tepals (petals and sepals) are mostly fused along their length, with only the tips of the tepals unfused. The pollen grains have three pores, a condition that is thought to be primitive in the Proteaceae. ==Taxonomy==

The genus' name is derived from the Ancient Greek words or(e)os "mountain", and kalli- "beauty". Almost all these species have red terminal flowers, and hence the subtribe's origin and floral appearance must predate the splitting of Gondwana into Australia, Antarctica, and South America over 60 million years ago. The prominent position and striking colour of many species within the subtribe both in Australia and South America strongly suggest they are adapted to pollination by birds, and have been for over 60 million years. Triporopollenites ambiguus is an ancient member of the proteaceae known only from pollen deposits, originally described from Eocene deposits in Victoria. The fossil pollen closely resembles that of T. truncata, Alloxylon pinnatum as well as O. grandiflora. The type species, Oreocallis grandiflora, is a plant with terminal showy red, pink, yellow or whitish inflorescences found in mountainous areas in Peru and southern Ecuador. It was originally described by French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1786 as Embothrium grandiflora. Robert Brown used it as the type species for the genus Oreocallis when he circumscribed the genus is 1810. As envisioned by Brown, the genus included both South American and Australian species, but in 1991 Peter Weston and Michael Crisp split the Australian species out of Oreocallis and placed them in a new genus, Alloxylon. ==Habitat and ecology==

Oreocallis grandiflora is a characteristic species in certain semi-deciduous forests in valleys and evergreen upper montane forest in the Andean forests of southern Ecuador and evergreen sclerophyllous forests in northern Peru. It grows at elevations between above sea level. It tolerates habitat disturbance, and may be expanding its range in response to increased human activity. Mammals are the only nocturnal visitors, Phyllostomid bat Anoura geoffroyi, and Andean mouse Microryzomys altissimus; the role of M. altissimus as actual pollinator is yet to be confirmed, although samples taken from its fur indicate pollen removal. ==Uses==

The plant is used for firewood, furniture/carpentry; It also has medicinal uses. ==References==