ORNAMENTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO ENDEMIC PLANTS FROM THE CANARY ISLANDS

With a complicated orography and great variety of microclimates, Canary Islands have developed large endemic vegetation. However, just some of these endemic plants have been widely used in gardening; lack of knowledge on how these plants behave cultivated in gardens is one of the reason to remain underutilized. This review focuses on 12 endemic species from Gran Canaria Island with expectation value in gardening. Several criteria, such as ornamental potential value and presence in Gran Canaria, have been used to choose the species. Three aspects with ornamental and environmental interest are studied in plants cultivated in garden: flowering phenology, biometric measurements, chorology and spatial use restrictions in Gran Canaria. Spatial use restrictions are underlined in order to avoid environmental problems such as hybridism and subspontaneity in Gran Canaria. Important differences in flowering phenology and biometric study were found between wild and cultivated plants, with longer flowering period and larger biometric measurements.