Ruil

This is a deciduous tree with a straight, gray trunk that can measure up to 30 metres tall. Its leaves are ovate, ovate-cordate or lanceolate in shape, with conspicuous primary veins and serrated edges. The greenish flowers are unisexual and inconspicuous.

The ruil grows between 37º 05' and 37º 50' south latitude, in the Chilean Coast Range (Cordillera de la Costa) in Talca and Cauquenes provinces of Maule Region. The species' estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) is 755 km2 (292 sq mi), and its area of occupancy (AOO) is 116 km2 (45 sq mi). It is a characteristic tree of the Maulino forest plant community, which is transitional between the Mediterranean-climate Chilean matorral of Central Chile and the mild temperate and humid Valdivian temperate forests of southern Chile. Present-day ruil forests grow in an area that is climatically homogeneous. The ruil tend to form pure stands. The species grow often in the same places where hualo (Nothofagus glauca) can be found.

In its natural habitat N. alessandrii forms a symbiotic relationship with the ectomycorrhizal fungus Cenococcum geophilum, which helps the trees survive drought stress.