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| Arid habitat above the sea near San Isidro |
It was fairly early in our holiday in Tenerife that my wife and I decided we should go and visit Vilaflor to try and see
Lotus berthelotii. I say try to see, since I did not know whether the time we were there was its flowering season, and the information we had received might not have been taking this into account. The first part of the journey was along the motorway that connects Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife with the airport and the south east of the island. My wife Amanda was map reading, and indicated where we should leave the motorway, and strike up into the hills.
The road we took was not busy and soon after we had started climbing, we passed through some interesting, dry habitat where there was a very convenient parking place. The area was close to the sea, and as well as being arid, had a considerable maritime influence. The first species I found belonged to Lotus, a genus I am particularly interested in. Although common and usually in maritime habitats, it was nonetheless good to find
Lotus glaucus in reasonable quantities.
Frankenia capitata also added to maritime species as did
Aizoon canariense, a maritime species that is not typical of its family
Aizoaceae.
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| Lotus glaucus. Near the village of San Isidro |
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| Frankenia capitata. Coastal species from near San Isidro |
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| Aizoon canariense. Canary Islands, coastal endemic |
