CHAPTER XI 



TREES AND SHRUBS 



THE list of indigenous and naturalized trees and 

 shrubs growing in Madeira is such a long and 

 varied one that it is not surprising that Captain 

 Cook, in his account of his first voyage, should 

 have said : " Nature has been so liberal in her gifts 

 to Madeira. The soil is so rich, and there is such 

 a variety of climate, that there is scarcely any 

 article, either of the necessaries or luxuries of life, 

 which could not be cultivated there." 



The place of honour among the island trees must 

 be given to those belonging to the laurel tribe, 

 of which there are a great number, and splendid 

 specimens still remain in the country, survivors of 

 the wholesale destruction of the primeval forests. 

 To this tribe belongs the til, one of the most 

 beautiful of evergreen trees, its shiny green leaves 

 contrasting admirably with the light grey bark of 

 its stems. The old trees grow to a very large size, 

 and in the Boa Ventura Valley and along the road 



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