MB. BUNBURT OK THE BOTANY OF TEKERIIFE. 27 



Cruz. As the climate is le&;s dry, and more temperate, so the 

 vegetation, even in the lower region, has less of an African aspect, 

 and reminds us rather more of Madeira and of Southern Europe. 

 Some of tlie cliaracteristic plants, which stamp the flora of the 

 south-eastern coast with its most marked peculiarities, are either 

 wanting or rare about Orotava. The Kleinia and the JEnphorhiu 

 piscatoria, indeed, are abundant, but the Euphorbia CanarienHs 

 occurs only in a few places on the sea-cliffs *, and tlie Plocama I 

 saw nowhere but near Icod de los A^iiios. Some of the most cha- 

 racteristic plants of the coast near Orotava are, the beautiful little 



Franhenia ericifolia^ Statice pectinafa^ Paronycliia Canariensis^ 

 Cnthmum maritimum, Lotus sessilifolius, Artemisia argentca, and a 

 glaucous-leaved Pyrethrum. Argemone Mexicana, a wanderer from 

 the tropics (within which it appears to be very Avidely diffused), 

 grows on tlie sea-shore at the mouth of the Barranco Ruiz, near 

 S. Juan de la Eambla, and more abundantly at Garachico. 



The great abundance of Date Palms in the valley of Orotava 

 and some of the other valleys of that coast, forms a striking feature 

 in the landscape, and distinguishes it particularly from the scenery 

 of Madeira, wliere there are comparatively very few of these trees. 

 The Phoenix^ however, does not appear to be indigenous to Tene- 

 riffe, as it is to the islands of Canaria and Palma. The Dracceiia 

 is a scarcely less conspicuous feature in the scenery of Orotava, 

 but although it is ascertained to be indigenous to the island of 

 Teneriffe, almost all the trees which occur in this valley are evi- 

 dently cultivated. 



The famous Dragon-tree of Villa de Orotava, so mcII knoT\'n 

 through Humboldt's description,is still in existence ; a ruin indeed, 

 but a noble ruin. Its foliage is still fresh and vigorous, but the 

 tree has been mucli shattered, and has lost many brandies within 

 the last few years, and a gentleman who has long known it is of 

 opinion that it will not last another century. By my measure- 

 ment, the part that remains entire of the trunk is 30 feet round, 

 that is, from edge to edge o^ the hollow ; and the width across the 

 hollow is 12 feet. This measurement was taken at 8^ feet above 

 the roots. I measured another Dragon-tree, a flourishing and 

 comparatively young one, which stands beside a convent at Eealejo 

 de Arriba, and found the circumference of the trunk to be 1*1 feet 

 4 inches, at 4 feet from the ground. There is a still finer one at 

 Icod de los Yiiios, 



The remarkable ravines, or Barrancos, which are most charac- 



Particularlv near La Paz, a little wav to the east of the Puerto de Orotava. 



