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Plant Identification => Plant Identification Questions and Answers => Topic started by: Kees Jan on March 05, 2011, 09:05:00 AM

Title: Mystery plants Gran Canaria
Post by: Kees Jan on March 05, 2011, 09:05:00 AM
Following a recent visit to Gran Canaria I have some identification challenges that I have not yet been able to solve... Any help would be great!

The first is a shrub about 1m tall (close-up picture, flowers are about a cm!), growing on exposed places near the west coast
The second picturs is also a shrub, perhaps 2m tall...

The dandelion like plant has succulent leaves and is smaller than a dandelion, it was found on a few exposed places on cliffs on the west coast of the island
Title: Re: Mystery plants Gran Canaria
Post by: Kees Jan on March 06, 2011, 09:47:48 AM
Here are a few others:

?????
Convolvulus of some sort
Parolinia ornata?? (flowers yellow)
and finally soms sort of Silene
Title: Re: Mystery plants Gran Canaria
Post by: Maggi Young on March 06, 2011, 02:44:03 PM
You've got some real puzzles there, Kees!

 Problem with somewhere like the Canary Islands is that so many plants are introduced, so there is a whole world to choose from  for IDs. :-X :-\
Title: Re: Mystery plants Gran Canaria
Post by: Kees Jan on March 06, 2011, 03:29:13 PM
Yes, that does make it more complicated, you can't always tell if a plant is introduced, but I suspect some of the above plants are, like the Lathyrus..., I don't think there is anything remotely similar growing wild on the Canary Islands.

Two mysteries have just been solved thanks to the Belgium alpine plant forum though, the Solanaceae Withania aristata and Lycium intricatum  :) :) :). These are the first two pics of this thread! Both are wild species on the Canaries.
Title: Re: Mystery plants Gran Canaria
Post by: Maggi Young on March 06, 2011, 04:02:00 PM
I thought the Lycium might be intricatum but I was puzzled by the Solanaceae  in picture 2

On researching this I find that Withania aristata is an endemic Caudiciform- very interesting plant.
Title: Re: Mystery plants Gran Canaria
Post by: Lvandelft on March 06, 2011, 04:59:58 PM
Oh, I see the same questions on these pages as well. Well while I am here now, then I try some answers here too. Just a different language ;D
Pic. 3 is Fagonia cretica ?
Pic 6:
The little crucifer looks nice and is probably a young seedling but it could grow much higher as well and you would not even look at it?

And pic. 7 looks like a Tamus ?

The first in reply 1 is looking like a Centaurea and may not be what I think: Lomelosia brachiata    But I have no other idea.
Pic. 2
When the leaves on the picture belong to this plant, the Convolvulus looks like Convolvulus althaeoides
Parolinia ornata will be o.k I presume.
Title: Re: Mystery plants Gran Canaria
Post by: Kees Jan on March 06, 2011, 06:21:02 PM
Thanks. Yes, it must be Fagonia cretica ;) :). Just like Lycium intricatum this plant is not included in 'Wild Flowers of the Canary Islands' (a great field guide by David and Zoe Bramwell), but a Spanish website (http://www.floradecanarias.com/fagonia_cretica.html) says 'F.cretica es una especie probablemente nativa en las islas.' I don't speak Spanish at all, but this must mean probably native, doesn't it...

Convolvulus althaeoides seems to be OK as well. 'Convolvulus althaeoides es una especie nativa posible en las islas.' (http://www.floradecanarias.com/convolvulus_althaeoides.html) so it may or may not be native on the Canary islands (not included in Bramwell's 'Wild Flowers of the Canary Islands').

Here are two other plants that I don't know. The first is a very small Geranium, which must be an exotic species I suppose... The second is some sort of Fabaceae.
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