Canary island flowering plants: Tenerife Flora – plants, flowers and trees endemic to the island

Canary Island sage – FineGardening

This short-lived, tender perennial shrub native to the Canary Islands off the African coast sends up 6-foot white-furred stems cloaked with long, felted, arrow-shaped leaves and topped, summer to frost, with plumes of purplish violet flowers clasped by red-tipped calyxes. It grows up to 4 feet wide.

Noteworthy CharacteristicsSalvias are some of the showiest plants for containers, annual borders, and mixed borders. Butterflies and hummingbirds love them. 

CareProvide moist, well-drained soil and good air circulation to prevent fungal diseases.

PropagationSow seed in spring; divide in spring; take cuttings in spring through autumn.

ProblemsPowdery mildew, rust, stem rot, fungal leaf spots, whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs, spider mites.

• Genus :

  Salvia

• Plant Width :
  1 to 3 feet
• Zones :
  10, 9
• Plant Height :
  6 to 10 feet
• Characteristics :
  Attracts Hummingbirds, Self Seeds
• Uses :
  Containers
• Tolerance :
  Drought Tolerant
• Moisture :
  Dry to Medium
• Bloom Time :
  Early Fall, Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Summer
• Light :
  Full Sun
• Growth Rate :
  Moderate
• Maintenance :
  Moderate
• Flower Color :
  Red
• Plant Type :
  Shrubs
• Plant Seasonal Interest :
  Spring Interest

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Canary Islands are source of many plant species

Canary Island date palms at Hamilton AFB, Marin County. Ron Sullivan

Lots of familiar plants hail from other places that share our Mediterranean climate, including the shores of the Mediterranean Sea (no surprise), South Africa, southern Australia and coastal Chile. The oceanic Canary Islands and Madeira are also well represented in the Mediterranean plant palette.

These islands, along with the Azores and the Cape Verde group, are part of what geographers call Macaronesia. It’s not about pasta: The name’s derived from the ancient Greek “islands of the fortunate,” the earthly paradise believed to lie beyond the Strait of Gibraltar.

Madeira, a Portuguese territory, is the source of some striking plants adopted by California gardeners – pride of Madeira (Echium candicans or E. fastuosum) for one – but the Spanish Canaries are the real cornucopia. This seven-island archipelago, stretching west from the Moroccan coast, has been called a botanical Galapagos.

The Canary Islands are volcanic in origin, maybe formed like the Hawaiian chain as a tectonic plate moved over a hot spot in the Earth’s mantle; experts are still arguing about that. A cold oceanic current moderates their climate. The islands’ varied topography creates an abundance of microclimate niches from barren lava fields to a unique mist forest called the laurisilva.

As with other island chains, plants and animals from the mainland – Europe and Africa, in this case – have colonized these islands and changed as they adapted to their new habitats. Compared with the giant tortoises and flightless birds of the Galapagos, the Canarian fauna is unspectacular: many endemic insects, a few pigeons and songbirds and an array of lizards, one of which, the Tenerife lizard, has a taste for tomatoes and a tendency to raid gardens. The plants, though, are another story entirely.

Of the Canaries’ 2,000 or so plant species, 520 are found nowhere else. At least 19 genera are unique to the islands. Some, like the trees of the laurisilva, are survivors of ancient forests that blanketed the Mediterranean region before the continental climate became colder and drier. Others are pioneers: plants that reshaped themselves in their new environment, branching out into new lineages and adopting new growth habits. Weedy species like the sow thistles (sonchus) have even morphed into shrubs and small trees.

Two familiar island trees that still resemble their mainland kin are the Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) and the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis). The pine, easy to find here, comes from open forests on the western islands where its long, soft needles precipitate moisture from the air, watering the soil below, much as our redwoods do. It can reach 80 feet tall here, needs deep watering at first but grows up to be drought-tolerant. You’ve encountered the palm too, a stout, scaly-trunked fellow with feather-shaped leaves and clusters of little orange fruit that are less edible than the commercial date palm’s (P. dactylifera).

At the other end of the size scale, the ubiquitous white marguerite (Chrysanthemum frutescens, formerly classified as argyranthemum) is endemic to the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Palma and La Gomera. These daisy relatives are an island success story, with at least 13 species on Tenerife alone. Botanists have identified two lineages, one adapted to desertlike conditions, the other to moister environments. C. frutescens, one of the droughty species, is easy to grow. In “Mediterranean Gardening: A Waterwise Approach” (University of California Press, 2002), Heidi Gildemeister calls it “outstanding for instant color, coastal gardens and impatient gardeners.”

The Canaries also boast two endemic salvias and three lavenders. Pink-flowered Canary Island sage (Salvia canariensis) has gray-green leaves with woolly white undersides. It can grow to be 6 to 7 feet tall and 8 to 10 feet wide in a single season, and flowers from spring to late fall. Canary Island lavender (Lavandula canariensis) may bloom year-round in warm regions of California.

There are more: garden-worthy euphorbias, tree mallows and senecios. Annie’s Annuals has introduced some real prizes. The true glories of the Canarian flora, though, are the echiums and aeoniums. More about those next week.

The 10 most beautiful Canarian plants

The Canarian archipelago has a huge variety of plants that make the islands as beautiful as they look in the pictures, and even more. And the fact is that the climate they enjoy means that the most unique species can exist, so much so that they are used to decorate gardens in warm and temperate regions of the world.

Do you want to know the 10 most popular Canarian plants?

nine0002 Index

• 1 Asabino
• 2 * Wild Canary Olives
• 3 Wild artichoke
• 4 Bezhki
• 5 Canary Cardon
• 6 Dragon
• Red pine tree Verrode

Asebino

Image – Wikimedia / Cowyda

El Ilex Canary This is an evergreen tree native to the Canary Islands. Grows up to 10 meters in height. nine0008, and its leaves are ovate or oval-lanceolate, shiny green.

El Aeonium Canary This is a non-cactus succulent endemic to the Canary Islands, where it especially grows on the island of Gomera. nine0007 It has one thick and short stem with few or no branches about 30-35 centimeters in height. . The leaves form compact rosettes with a diameter of about 45 centimeters.

Grows in full sun, on porous and light soils. You can also do this in stony soils if you have land you can take root in. It is drought tolerant but likes to be watered occasionally during the summer. As for the cold, it resists very weak and specific frosts. nine0003

Cardon Canary

Image – Wikimedia / H. Zell

La Euphorbia Canary is a succulent shrub endemic to the Canary Islands, where it is a natural symbol of the island of Gran Canaria. Reaches a height of 4 meters , and the support is up to 150 meters wide due to the fact that many branches are formed on it. Due to its large size, a variety of animals and plants live near or even within it.

In cultivation, this is a very grateful plant, the only thing it needs is the sun, soil that does not puddle, and a warm climate. nine0003

Dragon

La Dracaena Draco It is an evergreen tree native to the Canary Islands, where it has been declared a natural symbol of Tenerife. May exceed 12 meters in height. , with a stem that widens at the base. The leaves are leathery, grayish-green to bluish in color.

Very slow growing; in fact, there are those who say that it takes at least 1 year to grow 10 meters. However, it is very interesting to have it in the garden, as it decorates it from a very early age. Of course, you need to put it in the sun from time to time and water it. Withstands down to -7ºC. nine0003

Canary palm

Image – Wikimedia / Donkey shot

La Phoenix canariensis It is endemic to the Canary Islands and is its natural symbol according to the law of the archipelago government. It has a magnificent thick trunk, from which pinnate leaves grow up to 7 meters in length. Its total height is 10-13 meters.

He wants sun and requires moderate watering. Withstands frosts down to -7ºС.

Canary pine

Image – Wikimedia / Victor R. Ruiz from Arinaga, Canary Islands, Spain

El Canarian pine is an endemic coniferous tree of the Canary archipelago and a natural symbol of La Palma. Their growth upon reaching adulthood can exceed 40 meters. , although the most common is that it does not exceed 25 meters. Its leaves are green and needle-like.

It is drought tolerant, but occasional watering is recommended during the driest season. Withstands up to -12ºC. nine0003

Red taginaste

Image – Wikimedia / Hnsjrgnweis

El Echium wildpretii This is a plant that lives for two years (that’s a two-year period), endemic to the island of La Palma. In the first year it gives a rosette of leaves up to 30-40 centimeters, and in the second year forms a lush inflorescence from 1 to 3 meters high. , consisting of many red flowers.

This is a plant that grows in full sun and in soils with excellent drainage, and resists cold and light frost. nine0003

Verrode

Image – Wikimedia/Frank Vincentz

La Klenia neriifolia (formerly Senecio Kleinia ) is a deciduous shrub endemic to the Canary Islands. It has the support of a small tree with a somewhat crooked trunk, with a crown that branches out to just under half its total height, which is 1 meters at maturity . Its leaves are lanceolate and thick, falling off during the dry season.

From my own experience I can say that this is a plant that can be said to take care of itself if kept in the ground. Resistant to drought and light frost (down to -1.5ºС). nine0003

Which of these Canarian plants did you like best?

10 most beautiful Canarian plants

The Canary archipelago has a huge variety of plants that make the islands as beautiful as they look in the pictures, and even more. And the fact is that the climate they enjoy means that the most unique species can exist, so much so that they are used to decorate gardens in warm and temperate regions of the world. nine0003

Do you want to know the 10 most popular Canarian plants?

Index

• 1 Asebino
• 2 * Wild Canary olives
• 3 Wild artichoke
• 4 Bezhki
• 5 Canary Cardon
• 6 Dragon
• Red pine tree Verrode

Asebino

Image – Wikimedia / Cowyda

El Ilex Canary This is an evergreen tree native to the Canary Islands. Grows up to 10 meters in height. , and its leaves are ovate or oval-lanceolate, shiny green.

Thrives both in full sun and partial shade, on fertile, well-drained soils. Withstands frosts down to -1ºС.

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* Wild Canarian olives

Image – Wikimedia / Julius Senegal

El Olea cerasiformis is an evergreen tree native to the Canary Islands. Reaches 12 meters in height , but is more common as a shrub 4-5 meters high. The leaves are linear-lanceolate, with a dark green upper surface and a pale underside.

He lives in full sun and needs land to drain water well. Withstands mild frosts.

* Common name – acebuche; however, I also wanted to use the word “canary” to distinguish it from the Mediterranean wild olive, whose scientific name is Olea europaea var. sylvestris. nine0040