Gran Canaria Beyond the Giant Hotels

Gran Canaria beyond the Giant Hotels

Köln Bergheim

Flughafen Köln/Bonn Not without good reason: Couldn't this be the Grand Canyon? Doesn't this remind you of rice terraces in Bali? Doesn't a Hurtigruten tour look something like this? And couldn't this also be in North- West Argentina, e.g. Cerro de los Siete Colores? Anyway - here we are in the southwest of the island. Large populations of Euphorbia balsamifera dominate the landscape here. It' s strange: If this were a rare species, collectors would certainly be willing to spend large sums of money on such rustic specimens.

This one has a diameter of over 2 m, looks but much bigger in the photo. On this slope it is slippery in places due to loose rocks. But the way is worth the trouble. That’s because here another succulent occurs between the bonsai-shaped spurges, some of them well hidden, others visible from afar through the almost white shoots. It's Ceropegia fusca. In addition to the upright shoots, older plants always have prostrate shoots that take root and can branch out again. The flowers in this growing place are not completely brown, as the species name suggests, but have a yellowish throat. Over seemingly endless serpenti- nes (see title picture) we head towards the centre of the island. But the long way is worth it. Here the view from Acusa Verde in direction of the holy mountain Roque Bentayga and Tejeda. Euphorbia regis- jubae reaches exceptional sizes here. Individual shrubs are almost 3 m high. Here an also extraordinary large specimen of Senecio kleinia. And here is a much smaller one that stands out for its dark bark. The winter was (as so often in the last years) much too dry, and also in this case it was only just enough for an atmospheric picture, but not for some proper precipitation. Aeonium percarneum is regularly found on sunny slopes right next to the road. The leaf rosettes are very attractively coloured. The whitish flowers are less noticeable. Also regularly found along the roads: Echium onosmifolium. It’s one of the numerous species of bugloss that evolved in the Canary Islands.

In the background the striking Roque Nublo. A view of the beautiful mountain village Tejeda with the Roque Bentayga. It is worthwhile to look up from time to time: Rock-dwelling succulents also like to conquer roofs, here Aeonium percarneum (left) and Aeonium simsii. The colour of this very synthetic- looking speciality is actually of natural origin: The pink-coloured goat's cheese was affinated with cactus fruits! This is the source of the strident color: Opuntia dillenii. Or was it Opuntia ficus-indica (then of course their ripe fruits ...)? In a front garden a relatively young dragon tree (Dracaena draco). is in bloom. You don't often see these flowers that close. On the north side of a wall, a rather light-shy succulent Aichryson punctatum (or Aichryson pachycaulon ssp. punctatum). The inflorescences are richly branched and flower over a relatively long period. For a change in natural surroundings: Aeonium simsii on basalt rocks. The leaves show a fine pattern. These lines are glandular cells. Aeonium simsii steps out of line within the genus: It is the only Aeonium species whose inflorescences emerge laterally instead of developing from the centre of a leaf rosette.

(Foto © Thomas Brand) It occurs mainly in the zone of pine forests, both on the drier southern sides of the mountains and on the northern sides, where the trade wind clouds regularly provide more humidity. Here the species grows together with Aeonium aureum (formerly known as Greenovia aurea). The previous photo was taken in March. During the following dry season the plants change their appearance very much. The outer leaves dry out and turn pink, while the inner ones form a compact blue- green bud that reduces evaporation. A great colour contrast! The cloud forest does not only consist of pines. Here it is chestnut trees, densely covered with bearded lichen. This zone is not permanently fogged in. At an open place, which regularly receives sunlight, Aeonium percarneum (right) and Aeonium undulatum grow directly next to each other. The growth habit of Aeonium undulatum is very special: the plants branch from the base and one shoot grows dominantly until flowering. After that it dies and another shoot becomes the main shoot. At lower altitudes in the north of the island - where laurel forest once was growing - Aeonium canariense var. virgineum is found. The violet colouring in the heart of the leaf rosettes is not common; I have seen it like this only in one place. A typical non- succulent plant of this vegetation zone is the Canary Island Bellflower Canarina canariensis. A big advantage of the Canarian Islands is that there are no poisonous animals. These wasps are probably the most dangerous animals I have ever come across in all these years. Finally a side trip to the northwest at Agaete. At first sight the vegetation resembles the landscapes with Euphorbia balsamifera, which I introduced at the beginning. However, here it is another spurge species that dominates the landscape: the leafless Euphorbia aphylla. The inflorescences are tiny and quite inconspicuous for us humans. Insects - fortunately for the species - definitely see things differently … The path to the rocky outcrop is largely free of vegetation. Between the boulders at the 'fat tip' (the rocky outcrop is called Punta Gorda), however, numerous succulents thrive again, in this case Euphorbia aphylla and Euphorbia balsamifera. Towards the Atlantic Ocean the mixture is additionally supplemented by Senecio kleinia and Opuntia dillenii.

A gardener couldn't have designed it more beautifully - a fantastic place for a picnic, ...... at least for people who are free from giddiness! And opposite, the Pico del Teide is towering on the horizon. It's only 90 km away - and a good 3,600 metres in altitude … Comments, questions and hints are welcome, either under wolfgang. borgmann(at)gmx.net or in the DKG forum (https://www.kuas-forum.de/viewtopic.php?f=91&t=4555&p=33169&sid=c76a2575ca87d1b527dbf694bbe7322b#p33169).