[R] How about a mascot for R?

[Richard A. O'Keefe]

Given R's origin in Auckland, NZ, perhaps something a little less
North American than a raccoon might be appropriate.
If a mascot didn't have to be animate, a pohutakawa flower
(metrosideros excelsa) would be an excellent choice:

 - The Pohutakawa is called 'The New Zealand Christmas Tree',
   the flowers are red, the leaves are green, it flowers around Christmas,
   and R has been a real "Christmas present" to the world

 - The Pohutakawa tree is not a particularly beautiful tree, but it's
   pretty tough, thriving on coastal cliffs.  They can grow fairly big,
   can be bigger than an oak tree.

 - The flower is a bottlebrush; think of it as a "vectorised" flower and
   its aptness for R is obvious.

 - The Metrosideros genus is wider spread (it's also in the Kermadec
   Islands, Australia, and Hawaii) and the Pohutakawa proper is now
   found in many parts of Australia.

 - An image of a Pohutakawa flower would just be so gorgeous.