I don't know that these are so rare, but they're certainly not common around town. The first, Maytenus boaria, I had no memory of seeing before, but Nadia posted a photo of the flowers in April 2013: We don't see these plants on streets and in parks. From South America; I think we were told that it's quite common there. This is Halocarpus bidwillii, a Podocarpaceae from New Zealand.
I'd think both are only borderline hardy in Vancouver, so not too surprising they're not planted much.
