34 . MB. BTTNBUBY ON THE BOTANY OF TENEBIFFE. 



ferce, Figs, and others ; but they are always mixed with various 

 other well-marked forms, particularly with that beautiful form of 

 the Mimosece, which is entirely absent from the Canaries. 



Of herbaceous flowering plants, in the wood of Agua Garcia, 

 one of the most ornamental and interesting is the Geranium ane- 

 monefolium. The profuse abundance and luxuriant growth of the 

 Ferns are very striking. The Woodwardia radicans and JPoly- 

 stichum aculeatum grow to extraordinary size and beauty ; and the 

 Trichomanes speciosmn mantles the wet overhanging banks with its 

 dark green glistening fronds. 



The most abundant moss, by far, is Hypnum cupressiforme, 

 which, in many varieties, entirely clothes the trunks of the largest 

 trees. 



Of the other mosses that I observed in my hasty visit to this 

 locality, the most interesting was Fissidens serrulatus, Brid., grow- 

 ing in profusion on the wet rocks and banks, often in company 

 with the Trichomanes speciosum, and bearing abundant fructifi- 

 cation. 



To sum up my observations on Teneriffe, I may say, that the 

 botanical features most striking to me were : — 1. In the coast 

 region, the remarkable forms of the Euphorbia Canariensis, F.pisca- 

 toria, Klemia neriifolia, and Plocama pendula ; the social growth 

 of the Artemisia aryentea, covering great spaces of rocky and stony 

 ground with its whitish foliage ; the conspicuous abundance (espe- 

 cially on the Orotava side of the island) of cultivated Date Palms 

 and Dragon-trees ; and, in the ravines, the striking and peculiar 

 forms of shrubby species of Mumecc, JEchium, Solanum, and Son- 

 chus. 2. In the woody region, the prevalence of trees of the 

 Laurel type of foliage ; the vast extent of ground occupied by the 

 Erica arbor ea, and the surprising size to which it grows in favour- 

 able localities ; the abundance of Ferns and Hypnoid Mosses in 

 the more damp and shaded situations, and of Gistinece and Ge- 

 nistece on the dry and open grounds ; and the noble form of the 

 Canary Pine in the upper part of this zone. 3. The great zone 

 occupied by the Adenocarpus frankenioides above the region of 

 trees, and that of the Gytisus nubigenus at a still higher level. 



The striking botanical features of Madeira may be summed up 

 thus : — 1. The tropical cultivation in the lower region, contrasted 

 with the South-European or Mediterranean character of the native 

 vegetation. 2. The frequency, in that same region, of plants evi- 

 dently or probably introduced, and belonging to very different 

 countries. 3. The abundance and variety of Ferns, more particu- 



