Contributions to the Flora of the Canary lslands (especially Tenerife)

              Contributions to the Flora of the Canary lslands
(especially Tenerife)
by Alfred Hansen *
(recibido en la redacción: 17.3.1972)
Resumen
Coiitribücióii a la flura canaria, sobre tudo la de Tenerife:
Descripción de 2 nuevas especies, p~ob~ablementeen démicas en
Tenerife, Arrhenatherum calderae y Carex calderae. Siete otras es-pecies
se menciona como adiciones ()con claves y discusiones).
Summary :
2 new species, most likely both Canarian endemics, are des-cribed
from Tenerife: Arrhenatherum calderae and Carex calde-rae.
New taxa to the flora of the islands are: Ageratum housto-nianum
Mill., Conyza floribuiida IIBK., Giiaphaliuin pensylvani-cum
Willd., Mentha x piperita L., Pelargonium quercifolium (L.f.)
l'Hérit. ex Aiton, Rhynchosia caribaea (Jacq.) DC. and Solanum
vrnrilo Qttn, pithpr int r~d~cpcfji,z t~ralizpcjp lants er pgtahli~hpd m- ------
garden-escapes. Furthermore some notes on the genus Veronica
have been given.
Ageratum houstonianum Mill. - Subspontaneous in
Barranco Martianez, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, 1971, pro-bably
as a garden-escape. A native of Central America, and
obviously new to the Canary Islands.
Conyza. - Besides the 2 well-known species of this ge-nus:
C. bonariensis (L.) Cronq. (syn.: Erigeron b. L., E.
crispus Pourr.) and C. canadensis (L.) Cronq. (syn.: Erige-ron
c. L.) a third originally introduced but now widely esta-
* Botanical Museum, University o£ Copenhagen, Gothersgade 130, Copenha-gen-
K., Denmark.
chrys~srne, zpnnsum, L ~ s sw. ~hi ch therefore becomes H. indi-cum
(L.) Grierson. Under the name G. indicum in the world
herbarias usually at least 3 different Gnaphalium-species
are hidden, viz. G. pensylvanicum Willd., G. polycaulon
Pers. and G. spicatum Lamk., al1 natives of America. In 1968
and 1970 Lid published some finds of so-called G. indicum
L. from the Canary lsiands considering the plant as "ob-viously
new to the isles". By courtesy of the Botanical Mu-seum,
Oslo University, where al1 Lid's collections from the
Canary Islands are kept, 1 have had the opportunity of seeing
this material, which al1 now has to be referred to the spe-ries
Y. ponr y l~nni rumW i!!d. (U. spathduturi? Lumk., U. rnoL-regrinum
Fernald, G. purpureum auct. non L.), a native
of the warmer parts of North America and of South Ame-rica
as far south as the centre of Argentina. It also occurs
commonly as an alien in severa1 warmer countries of the
world, see also Drury (1971).
Lid's Canarian localities are the following: Hierro, Punta Grande in El Gol-fo
1957; La Palma, Cumbre Nueva 1954, Caldereta and Polvorin, Barranco Pu-ta
1954 and 1957, Punta de los Guinchos 1954; Teneri'fe: NE. of Guimar 1954,
Vina Grande near Garachico 1969 and Puerto de la Cruz 1969. In the Copenha-gen-
Herbarium there is a sheet cvf G. pensylvanicum collected in P. de la Cruz,
Tenerife 1963, leg. J. Lange. The plant may have a wider distribution on the
islands than known at presen't, thus Kunkel (1971) mentions "G. indicum" as
very com~nlon in parts of Gran Canaria. G. p~nryivariicum is an annual ami may
be confused also with the common G. Iufeo-alhu~nL ., an annual as well; it is
also known from Madeira, at least since 1830 (Hansem 1972).
C Y P E R A C E A E :
Carex calderae A. Hansen sp. nov. (sectio Paniculatae)
Rhizoma caespites densos amplos formans. Culmi 30-100 cm.
alti, stricti, fructiferi tarnen arcuato-extensi ve1 decumbentes, tri-qluetri,
angulis supra modo scabris, ad bases vaginis magnis aphyl-lis
atroibrunneis cincti. Folia culmo breviora, 3-4 mm lata, plana,
pallide viridia, rigida. Panicula elongata, 4-10 cm longa in ambitu
oblongo-lanceolata, + laxa, bracteata. Spiculae numerosae, supe-riores
simplices, inferiores conipositae, androgyrlae, infra Pemi-nae,
supra masculae, 5-8 mm longae; bracteae triangulae nervis
mediis excurrentibus, pallidae, marginatae, 4-7 mm longae. Squa-mae
ovatae, fuscide stramineae, memlbranaceae, 3-4 mm longae,
1-1.5 mm latae. Utriculi 3-335 mm longi, 1-1.25 mm lati, ovati, gla-bri,
nitidi laete castanei, dorso convexi ventre plani, utrinque ner-
T ~ p u r C: anary I lands, T S ~ P of T~ne r i f e :L as Cañadas.
Material collected on October 23., 1969. Holotypus deposi-ted
in the herbarium of the Rotanical Museum, Copenhagen
(Herb. C.). The epithet "calderae" has been chosen from
"Caldera", a Spanish word for a kettle-shaped volcanic cra-ter.
Habitat: Abundant in rock-crevices along a brookiet
running from Montaña de Guajara to the eastern end of
the Llano de Ucanca-plain (where it disappears from the
surface), just south of the "Parador Nacional".
Distribution: Probably endemic to the Isle of Tenerife.
A 4 4 i m i t i n o . P l n o n to c. par,",oL~a¿a L. (with 3 sSp. : ssr). L L J J C I D O k ( r C I 0 . UIVi3L
paniculata and ssp. Lusitanica [Schkuhrl Maire), but deviat-ing
in some essential characters. Thus it does not form the
very voluminous, dense and high tussocks of C.paniculata; its
stems are rough only below the inflorescence, leaves shorter,
and the whole plant of a light-green appearance against the
dark-green C. paniculata with its brown inflorescences. Its
utricles are longer and narrower (3-3lh x 1-1.25 mm against
2.5-3 x 1.5-2 mm in C. paniculata). Furthermore its inflores-cences
are more compact, the spikelets more numerous and
bear more flowers.
This new taxon m. be identical with the record of so-called C. panicu/ata
L. from Chasfia, Tenenfe, by Webb & Berthelot (1846-47), W ~ Osa y about its
ocourrence and habitat: "Hanc specieni deflor;ituni post papi~m Chasnum, ad
fontem Traste de Doña Beatriz sub monte Sonibrevillo, in r-gione Teydensi Te-neriffae,
extra circum montiurn cyclicoriim. legirnus menre Decernbe anno 1829;
eadem intra circum ipsurn laete florenteni, sub pylis Guaxarae, ad folntem Mon-tis
puniicei El Monton de Trigo dicti, die 20 Mnii 1846 legit Bourgeaeus. Obs!
Forma canariensis robusta. in tabula Sihkiihriana bene depicta est, sed spica in
planta nostra densior et squamae insigniter scariosae". Durand & Schinz (1894)
mentio,n Bourgeasu (no. 1175, 1176, 1024) and Perraudiere, and Kükenthal (1909)
Serillo and Hillebrand as collectors of so-called C. pailiculata in the Canary Is-lands,
while Lid (1968) assumes that records o£ this plmt most ,likesly have to be
referred to C. canariemis: Bornmüller (1903) says the same about the collections
by Bourgeau and Perraudiere. A recent record of this species has heen puhlished
by Kunkel (1970) from Gran Canaria, but unfor'tunately - in spite of several
attem~pts in trying to procure it - 1 have not bzen able to see or study any ma-terial
at al1 o£ so-called C. panicrrluta froni the Canary Islands.
From the Cape Verde Islands so-called Curex paniculata L. has been recorded
by Chevalier 1935 (Sao Antao: Cova a Bordeiros 1934, no. 45586; Covao 1934,
no. 45462). 1 have had this material on loan from Paris, but as it is in an old,
withered stage carrying no utridirs and seeds it is vary difficult to identify. In my
opinion it is not at al1 identical with C. pariiculata, but n~os tl ikely represents either
a West-african cpecies or an undescribed specics endemic to thece islands.
In the Canary Islands the genus Carcx occurs only in
the 5 western islands: Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Gomera, La
Palma and Hierro, and the following taxa have been recor-deá
by ciifferent authors and compiied by Lems (iYBD j :
C. canariensis Kük. C. perraudieriana J. Gay ex Bornmüll~r.
rLi . U-1 l:V- -I 'U -C -( Tl lI .U. AU -3 L,-. - - l - - -L- 7 1 1 - v,.- o- v;.. ~ V L yJ u y 11a L I U L . ~j 1 ~ 1 1 .
C. divulsa Good. C. teretiuscula Good.
C. murícata L. C. vulpina.
C. paniculata L.
However the following taxa or species seem to be dubious
pbants for the islands:
C. diandra (C. teretiuscula)
C. muricata (most likely = C. pairae F. Sc'hultz).
C. paniciilata (most likely = C. calderae).
C. polyphylla (most likely = C. divulsa Siakes ssp. divulsa)
C. vulpina (most likely = C. otrubae Podp.).
and thus - with the addition of C. distachya Link published
by Kuqkel (1970) and the above described C. caldcrae t l i ~
hoLo"nUiYi Ac. '- f ' a r aL.u' "nYn l x7 " i nrAr -o-c-~-n"ti l l thr islundc ~ ~ mr-'n--r- i tc-h-~n- co ly- -r
cies :
C. calderae A. Hansen (endem.). C. divulsa Slokes ssp d3vulw
C. canariensis Kük. (endem.) . C. otrubae Podp.
C. distachya Link. C. pairae F. Schultz.
C p~r r a i i r l i~r i n n.aT Gny PX Ro r nmi i l l ~ rI ~ n r l ~\ m
G E R A N I A C E A E :
Pelargonium quercifoliunz (L. f.) 1'Hérit. ex Aiton. --
Tenerife: Subspoiitaneo~sa long roadside in the Taoro Park-area
above Puerto de la Cruz. A native of S. Africa and riew
to the Canary Islands. Froin the islands some other Pelar
goniums have been recorded as established garden-escapes,
v3z. P. x hybrid~vz (L.) !'H&it. cx Aiton (P. inqüinans ;<
zonale), P. inquinans (L.) 1'Hérit. ex Aiton and P. peltaturz
(L.) 1'Hérit. ex Aiton (Lems 1960, Kunkel 1970, 1971). For
determination of Pelargoniums see Moore (1955) with a
good key.
brae, subtus et margine scaberulae; ligula 3-4 mm longa, obtusa.
denticulata ve1 truncata. Panicula erecta, ovato-lariceolata, laxa, 8-
9 cm longa, post anthesin angustn, congesta. Spiculae lanceolatae, 8-
10 mm longae, 2-florae; flos inferior masculi~ss, uperior hermaphodi-tu,
s. Glumae inaequales, inferior 6l/2 rnm longa (excl. arista), 1-ner-vis,
superior 81/2 mm longa, 3-nervis. uliaque basi membiariacea.
glabra. L,ernmae 7-8 mm longae, in parte apicali mxginatac. in
bina ucxminu cxcurrsotes; pder?n ca. 5 *mrn !~ngr.e. Ar i s?~.f 1eri.s
inferioris ca. 18 rnm longa, inter anthesin 5 recta, sicca genicii-lata,
ca. 1 mm supra basin inserta; arista floris superioris 3% Ion-ea.
ca. 2 mm infra apicem inserta. Stamina 3, antheris 4 rnm lonliis,
flavescentibus. Stigmata 2 rnrn longa, plurnosa. Caryopsis oblongo-lanceolata,
pilosa, intesrne sulcata, 5 mm longa.
Typus: Canary Islands, Isle of Tenerife: Las Lafiadas.
Material collected on October l., 1970, ancl cultilated in the
Botanical Garden, Copenhagen, where it flowered m May 21;
1971. Ho¡otypus deposited in the herbarluln of ti?e Botdnkcli
Museum, Copenhagen (Herb. C.). The epithet "caldeme" has
been chosen from "Caldera", a Spanish word for a kettle-shaped
volcanic crater.
Habitat: Abundant along the main-road through the
eastern part of Las Cañadas on the stretch between El Pcrti-
110, at the entrance of the "Caldera" and the Montaña Blan-ca,
in about 2000 m; also observed along the sanle ro2d just
south of the "Parador Nacional", at the eastern end of the
Llano de Ucanca-plain.
Distribution: Endemic to the Isle of Tenerife.
Affinities: Closely related to Arrhenatherum elatius
(L.) PB., but deviating in soine essential cl-iaracters (tab. 2).
Material of this new species has been available in the
Copenhagen Herbarium already for saine time, referred tu
Arrhenatherum elatius, viz.: Las Cañadas, 11/5-1957, le%.
K. Larsen, and El Portillo, May 1963, 1eg.J.Laqge. 111 thc
literature the following records of Arrhenntherir,m elatilis rin
Tenerife have been traced: Esperanza, leg. Bornrriiiller- 1903
(Pitard & Proust 1909) ; La Laguna: Agua García, Mesa Mo-
1- -11 l-,-.-l:4:n- $-m r a , a r l L u u z u l u c a lul a phrit ~ ü p p ~to~ b~e íA.!eI a:iüs i :ü~.1¿i~1-
bosum (Willd.) Spenn. or ssp. bulbosum (Willd.) Hyl. (Lin-
Tab. 2
Glumes
A. calderae
densely tufted
8-17 cm, loose
Characters
Growth form
Panicle
Spikelets ('numlb'er
plr. branch)
A. elatius (ssp. elatius)
-
loosely tufted
-
10-30 cm, loose-rather
dense
2-10
Upper nearly twice as
long as lower
1 almoclt straight
almost equ'al in
length
Awn of maLe (lo-dinger
1926); further this author assumes that Bornmüller's
above mentioned plant in faci is identical with the same var.
or ssp. Lid (1968) mentions A.elatius ssp. bulbosum as new
to Hierro and La Palma and adds further localities on Tene-rife;
finally Kunkel (1969) has recorded A.elatius as new to
Gran Cariariu (Mudrz dz Agüu), probubly ugai:: ssp. bulbo-sum.
- A.elatius ssp. elatius is most likely not known at al1
from the Canary Islands.
geniculat,e
Stipa neesiana Trin. & Rupr. - This grass from S.Ame-rica
(Uruguay, Argentina) has been recorded for the first
+b;-Al lll=fr clm thz Caiiary Is!afids in 1564 by Lid (1968), who
found it on a slope south of the Taganana tunned, Anaga.
In 1971 it was observed in abundance on road-sides along
the road Mercedes-El Bailadero, on the stretch nearest to El
Bailadero.
wer) flower (in
full bloom)
- --
L A B I A T A E :
Mentha x piperita L. (Maquatica x spicata), probably
in the variety citrata (Ehrh.) Briq. - Subspontaneous along
a watering-canal at Tejina, Tenerife 1971. Seems to be
new to the Canary Islands.
Rhynchosia caribaea (Jacq.) DC. - Tenerifc: A clim-ber
in other vegetation (shrubs) in Carretera Botanico near
the "Bar Botanico", Puerto de la Cruz, 1971. h pcrennial
with slender, pubescent stems, leaves ternate and leaflcts
hroady rhnmhnid del tnid, t h l~a t ~ r 2 ln n w n h l i q i i ~y mr-sely
pubescent or subglabrous above, puhescent on nerves
and veins and dotted over with raised, golden g l a n d ~b elow.
Fig. 3. Rhynchosia caribaea
(after Meikle 1951)
Stipules small deltoid-subulate. Inflorescence lax. brarlched
or not, caiyx-teeth unequai, basa1 teeth subuiate, other~
broadly deltoid. Petals 1-2 cm, yellow striped with purp!e.
Ovary densely white-pilose, ripe pod up to 4 cm, wilh lm9,
silky hairs, see fig. Though named "caribaea" this piant has
nothing to do with the Caribbean area, see Meikle (1951),
but is a natíve o£ S. and SW. Africa. 2 Rhynchosin-spcci~s,
viz. R.rnemnoria DC. and R.minima DC. have been recorded
as natives of the southernmost Macaronesiar? grou;>s of is-
!a&,th e Cape Verde Is!ands (Cheva!ier 1935 ) .
SCROPHULARIACEAE :
Veronica. - The taxonomical status of a Canarian Ve-ronica-
species of the section Beccabunga has been evaluated
in &ffererit ways by &lfferent =thurs: As T7 71:- T v .Uil.uyULLL3 u.
var. anagalliformis Bor. (Pitard & Proust 1908, Knoche
1923), as V.anagallis L. + var. anagalloides Guss. (Lindin-ger
1926), as V.anagallis L. (Lems 1969) and finally as V.
anagalloides Guss. (Lid 1968). It has been recorded from
Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Gomera and La Palma. On the basis
of some material from Gran Canaria (Barranco de Azuaje,
Barranco de Angostura, both leg. Gelert 1897) and from Te-iiei-
ife (Bdi-i-diiCü del Iiifleriio, AUt.je alid El Bailadero, i(J(j!J
and 1971, leg. A. Hansen) it seems to me most appropriate to
refer this plant to the taxon V.anagallis-aquatica L., a very
variable, perennial species with almost cosmopolitan distri-bution
(yet native and introduced occurences are not always
easy to separate). In my opinion the annual V.anagalloides
Guss. can be left out of consideration.
The existence of a further 2 Veronica-species on the
Canary Islands seem somewhat dubious, viz. V.acinifolia L.
and V.agrestis L. V.acinifolia has been recorded from Hierro
by Pitard & Prniist (1908) a s t h ~ nre rentlj fnimd, 2nd it
bas been added, that the discovery of this plant (a native of
S., C. and W. Europe) is not at al1 surprising at is has been
known to exist on Madeira for many years! This record from
Madeira most likely dates back to Hooker & Hooker (1849),
but since then it has never been mentioned again from this
island by other authors. Most likely a mistake has been ma-de.
- As to the records of Vagrestis L. from the Canary Is-lands
they are most likely al1 referable to V.politu Fr., as
these two species - though easily separable - have been
mixed together by many authors, especially in the medite-rrmean
urea.
S O L A N A C E A E :
Solanum gracile Otto (S. ottonis Hyl.) - Tenerife:
Waste place in Puerto de la Cruz (NW-part of the city) 1971.
A plant much like S.nigrum, but the cymes are umbellate
and peduncles strongly deflexed in fruit, berries dull purple.
A native of S. America, naturalized elsewhere, f.inst. i SW.
Europe. New to the Canary Islands.
Literature :
BONNET, E.; 1878: Notes sur quelques plantes du midi de la France. - Bitll.
Soc. Bvt. Frunce 25: 205-210.
BORNMÜLLER, J.; 1903: Eigebnisse ~weier botilniaclicr Rsih<n nacli Maclcii-,i
und den Canarischen Inseln. - CngI. Bol. J o I i ~ h . 33: 3X/-4YC.
CHEVALIER, A,; 1935: Les lles du Cap Vert. Flore de 1'Archipel. - Rri,. U o t .
Appl. 15: 733-1030.
DlJRAND, TH & H SCHINZ; 1894. Cm~cpwtr~Fv l n r n ~A frir.no V
DRURY, D.G.; 1971: The .4mericnn spicnte C~idweeds adventive to Ncw Zmlnnd.
N. Zeal. J. Bot. 9: 157-185.
GRIERSON, A. J. C.; 1971: The identity o£ Gnaphalium indiciim L. - hrorer
Ruy. Buf. Gurd. Ediah. 31: 135-138.
HANSEN, A.; 1972: Contributions to the flora of Madeira. - Bocrr~irrrrli (in thz
press).
HOOKER. W. J. & J. D. HOOKER; 1849: Kotes on Madeira plants. - In "Ni-ger
Flora", p. 73-83.
KNOCHE, H.: 1923: Vagurldi Mos. Keiseskizzen eines Botaniher,. 1 Llie Knnari-schen
Inseln. Strassbourg.
KUNKCL, C.; 1968: Notas hfisce1áneas.-Cund. Bot. 4: 5-7.
1969: Sobre plantas vasculares de Gran Canaria.-Cutrd. Bot. Crrmr. 5 :
5-12.
1970: Novedades en la flora Canaria.-11. Adiciones para Gran Canaria-
Ibid. 9: 60-65, 1970.
1970:Novedades en la flora Canaria - III. Algunas plantas de La P,ilnia.
Ibid. 10: 1-4.
1 0 ' 7 1 . Al : - - . to ttir Ca:iaiy f!u:-z I [ . crcsPsru:lsY c!i:i;YL-:b lbid. 12; A,, . . L L...-,LJ
8-21.
1971: Notas florísticas y adiciones.-lhid. 13. 11-14.
KUKENTHAL, G.; 1909: Cyprraceae-Caricoideae. - Das Pflanzenreich 1V. ?O.
Leipzig.
l.EMS, K.; 1960: Floristic botany o£ the Cnnary T~1ands.-Srirrcic.ctii(r 5 : 1-94.
LID, J. 1968: Contributions to the flora of the Cmary 1slands.-Skr.NorsXe Vid.
.Al,nd Orln, Math-Nntiirv K!. Ny S r . 23: 1-21?.
LINDIINGER, L.; 1926: Beitriige zur Krnntnis von Vegetlition iind Flora cler
kanarischen 1nseln.-Abli~rrzdl. uus dem Gebiet der A I I ~ L ~ I I ~~IL~I~I I I~- I ~ ~ ~ P burg Univ. 21. Reihe C., Bd. 8: 1-350.
MEIKLEU, E.D.: 1951: The identification of Rhynchosili caribaea (Jscq.) DC. and
allied species.-Kew Bull. 1951: 171-180.
MOORE, H.S.; 1955: Pelargoniums in cultivation 1-11.-Utrilcyn 3: 5-25, 41-46,
70-97.
PITARD, J. & L. PROUST.; 1908: Les iles Canaries. Flore de I'Archipel. Paris.
WEBB P. & BEKTHELOT: 1846147; Histoire riaturelle des Iles Canaries, 3,2.