THE PLANTS AND GARDENS OF THE CANARY ISLANDS. 69 
finely cut glaucous leaves is C. foeniculaceum. This is the same 
as C. anethifolium. The latter is the name to be adopted for it. 
C. grandifolmm, an attractive plant with numerous synonyms, 
is also cultivated. C. pinnatifidum, although usually associated 
with the Canary plants mentioned above, and very near 
G. grandiflorum, is a native of Madeira. C. coronopifolimn, from 
Grand Canary, has not been grown so largely as it deserves. 
All these plants are of shrubby habit, but require protection 
in winter. They are grown almost exclusively for decorating 
window-boxes. They are, however, amongst the brightest orna- 
ments of the green-house (No. 4) at Kew in early summer. 
Amongst the Docks (Btmicx) is a shrubby species with 
glaucous leaves {B. Lunaria), common along the coast. 
There is also a shrubby Plantain {Plantago arborescens). 
All these shrubby and even tree-like forms of familiar 
English Groundsels, Sow-thistles, Docks, and Plantains 
awaken attention, and afford striking instances of the diversity 
of plant life brought about by environment. There is a native 
Willow {Salix canariensis) yielding osiers for basket and chair 
making. The native Date-palm of the Canaries deserves more 
than a passing notice. It was introduced into cultivation as 
Phoenix tenuis, and its origin not given. It has a globular head, 
the fronds are bright green, and the pinnae are flat and 
closely set together as in Cycas revoluta. PhcBnix canariensis 
I regard as a very handsome Palm. The stems are 3 feet in 
diameter, and the whole plant has a majestic and striking 
appearance. It is largely cultivated in the Riviera gardens, and 
is admirably suited to sub-tropical countries. The character of 
the plant may very well be seen in painting No. 514 in the North 
Gallery at Kew, and in Gardeners' Chronicle, 1894 (1), p. 405. 
Pancratium canariense has glaucous leaves, with a peduncle 
up to 3 feet high. There are about twenty flowers to the umbel- 
This should be grown in our greenhouses as a winter-flowering 
plant. A large climbing liliaceous plant from the Canaries 
long grown in this country is Semele (Ruscus) androgyna. It 
clambers over rocks and trees to a height of 30 or 40 feet. 
The Dragon tree, or more properly the Dragon's-blood 
tree, of the Canaries would take a whole paper to itself. It is 
one "of the most celebrated in the annals of natural history." 
Within a few years there stood at Villa Orotava a gigantic 
