Canary Islands
The subtropical volcanic archipelago off shore NW-Africa, here exemplified by the island of
Tenerife, receives its moisture from the trade winds, enveloping the coniferous montane forest
in clouds almost year round, leaving little precipitation for the alpine belt above. The
3700 m cone of the Teide volcano thus emerges form an alpine semi-desert, called the
Cañadas. Poor in species due to its isolation and young geological age, the flora offers
outstanding features such as the giant
Echium
rosette species, a nice example of convergence troughout the tropics and subtropics,
particularly in
Hawaii.
1 -
Cañadas - the lower alpine semi-desert is dominated by large cushion plants.
1 -
Cañadas - the lower alpine semi-desert is dominated by large cushion plants.
2 -
Echium wildpretii
(Boraginaceae), 2-3 m tall candle shaped giant rosettes, take several years to flower and
then die.
4 -
Descurainia burgeana
(Brassicaceae) (Teide, 3200 m)
4 -
Descurainia burgeana
(Brassicaceae) (Teide, 3200 m)
5 -
Ice sculptures on Teide at 3650 m, the home of a single species,
Viola cheiranthifolia
(Violaceae).
5 -
Ice sculptures on Teide at 3650 m, the home of a single species,
Viola cheiranthifolia
(Violaceae).
6 -
Viola cheiranthifolia
(Violaceae) (Teide, 3650 m)
6 -
Viola cheiranthifolia
(Violaceae) (Teide, 3650 m)
