Category Archives: News

News about gardening, exotic plants, strange plants…

Mango Cultivation in the Canary Islands

Mangifera-cv-Gomera-1 Canarius | 01 de junio de 2016 |

Description

It is a very robust medium sized tree, with dome shaped crown, and stiff, thick, arching leaves. Flushes of new leaves are deep red-burgundy. It is able to flower up to 3 times a year. If it is too cold or wet, it will loose the inflorescences and flower again, about 2 months later, until the right season for fruit set is matched.

Fruits are yellow with pale dots and sometimes with a hint of pink. They are produced in groups, with a small to average size (250 g average), very good flavour, aromatic, with a high content in fibres.

Genetic analysis shows it is very closely related (not the same) to the Cuban Mango ” Filipino “, and to the Floridan Mango ” Turpentine “. It is possibly the same of the Cuban ” Manga Blanca “.

Scientific Literature in Spanish about Mango Gomera

Mejora del Mango en Canarias

Gomera-1 en el programa de mejora del Mango

Buy cold hardy mango trees in our Shop

In our shop you can purchase small trees of Gomera mangos and also a wide selection of mango trees of different varieties. All trees are grafted by hand, with specific cultivars. We ship to any countries in Europe. Try also our delicious Mango jam with or without sugar, in the honeys & jams section, produced with the mangoes of the Canary Islands.

Plumeria ‘Japanese Lantern’

Canarius | 01 de diciembre de 2015 |

japanese-lantern1

Plumerias are small tropical trees native to tropical America, renowned for their flowers. Their common name, Frangipani, comes from a famous perfume of the eighteenth-century. Depending on the cultivar, they can grow up to 3 to 10 m tall. Moreover, plumerias are easy to grow, regardless of the region where you live.

plumerias-canariusWild species of Plumeria are native to warm tropical areas of the Caribbean, Central America and N. South America. These are very diverse in growth habit and their flowers are always white-and-yellow. They are all deciduous and shed leaves during the cool, dry season.

On the other hand, cultivated hybrids of Plumeria rubra are found throughout the world, in warm mediterranean to tropical areas. They are recognized by the showy and very fragrant flowers called Frangipani, developed in a wide range of colours: white, yellow, pink, red, orange…

Plumeria flowers have thick, waxy petals, with a predominance of two colours (depending on the hybrid), varying from the center to the edge of the petal, as we can see in this Plumeria ‘Japanese Lantern’:

 

japanese-lanternPlumeria “Japanese Lantern”

It is an old, classic, great cultivar of Plumeria, with drooping flower heads. Individual flowers have narrow petals, twisted at the tip. They are pink-red, with a small, brilliant yellow center.

‘Japanese Lantern’ is one of the few plumerias that blooms almost continuously throughout the warmest months – In the Canary Islands it can flower from April to December: 8 or 9 months per year instead of the typical 4-6 months of most cultivars. Some inflorescences can also survive to winter and start producing new flowers in early Spring.

The plant is very easy to grow and bloom. It is quite upright and thin at first but very robust eventually, becoming a long lived tree. It is perfect for landscaping where dense summer shade is required.

We ship a well rooted plant, 40-80 cm tall, sometimes branched, sometimes not. Usually an adult tip-cutting that can bloom in one year or less. Plumerias are leafless in winter and spring, so depending on the season, they can be shipped with pots or bare rooted in paper or sphagnum.

In our online store, Canarius, we have an ever-increasing offer of plumerias: Bali Whirl, Palermitana, Kauka Wilder, Sally Moragne… What is your favourite one?

Withania somnifera, your Medicinal Plant for this Autumn

Canarius | 18 de septiembre de 2015 |

withania-somnifera-ashwaganda Autumn is coming and, most of times, flu with it. In Canarius we have plants for health and, in particular, we have brought a new one to our online shop: Withania somniferacommonly known  as Ashwagandha, Indian ginseng, poison gooseberry or winter cherry. Withania somnifera is a shrub to small tree that grows well in Mediterranean to tropical conditions. This species is a short tender perennial shrub growing 35–75 cm (14–30 in) tall and its branches extend radially from a central stem. The flowers of an Aswagandha are small and green and the ripe fruit is orange-red.

(Withania_somnifera) Nevertheless, this  plant grows well in Mediterranean to tropical conditions (as we have said before), it is cultivated in many of the driest regions of India. For instance, Mandsaur District of Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat or Rajasthan. Also, a Withania somnifera plant  can be found in Nepal or China. Withania somnifera is an Indian medical plant used in Ayurvedic medicine with just too many good purposes. Such as treating arthritis, anxiety, trouble sleeping (insomnia), tumors, tuberculosis, asthma and so on. Moreover, this plant is used as an “adaptogen”: natural substances produced by plants and herbs that provides special nutrients for reaching an optimal performance, both mental and physical. Likewise, Ashwagandha is applied to the skin for treating wounds and, even, some people also use this plant for fertility problems in men and women. To sum up, Withania somnifera, known commonly as Ashwagandha (among others), is a medicinal plant with a lot of uses to improve our health day by day. The name Ashwagandha is from the Sanskrit (an old Indian language) and it is a combination of the word ashva (meaning “horse”) and gandha (meaning “smell”). Furthermore, its root has a strong aroma. That’s why this species is described as “horse-like” (despiste how badly it sounds). Look for on our website Withania somnifera - Ashwagandha and discover how this species can help you daily!

Discover how we ship on Canarius.com

Canarius | 21 de julio de 2015 |

How-we-work On Canarius.com, we are lucky because any mail from the Canary Islands travels as airmail, so the box often travels during just 3-8 days and skips any spell of cold or heat. So far, we shipped hundreds of parcels to many different countries. Likewise, if you are out of the European Union we can make easier your purchase. The truth is that different countries out of Europe have different legal requirements. We will try to match all of them, but in some cases we need your cooperation. Some countries will ask you to request an import permit, so you will have to get it in advance and email it to us. Our minimum order is 80 €

For the customers in the USA

We are able to ship to the United States and we will ask you to cooperate and obtain an USDA-APHIS import permit so you can legally import our plants into the USA. We will prepare all the necessary documents to fulfill the requirements of your country. We offer a free phytosanitary certificate and a free handling for plants, including bare-rooting and packing. Some of the plants that we offer in our website are not allowed to be imported in the United States. This list is often changed by the United States, so please contact us if you have any doubt:

  • Saccharum (Sugar Canes)
  • Morus (Mulberry trees)
  • Citrus (All citrus fruit trees)
  • Some Palms (currently in our catalog: Livistona spp.)
  • Ipomoea batatas (Sweet potato, including black-leaved sweet potato)
  • Gossypium (Cotton)
  • Theobroma spp. (cacao)

How we work

This is a bit of information about how we ship. Contact us if you have any questions. We can easily reply in English, Spanish and Italian. Although, also we can handle other languages, such as French or German. Right after, we share with you an explanatory video about “How we work”:

 

Red Leaf Palm, put colour in your life!

Canarius | 15 de julio de 2015 |

chambeyronia-macrocarpa-red-leaf-palmIf you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind rare species then you want the Flame Thrower Palm. From Canarius we would like to introduce this beautiful palm. This is one of the most beautiful palms in the world. It is native to the forests of New Caledonia, the luscious island of New Caledonia is east of Australia and north of New Zealand, where it occurs from sea level to over 1.000 m. Formally recognized, there are only two species of Chambeyronia, a genus of striking beauty for New Caledonia. That kind includes Chambeyronia macrocarpa, which family is Arecaceae. Their common names are: the Flame Thrower Palm is also known as Red Feather Palm, Red Leaf Palm, Blushing Palm, Watermelon Palm.This species is from wet mountainous areas below the height of 800 meters. The name Chambeyronia honors Charles-Marie Chambeyron who lived from 1827 – 1891. He was part of the French Navy and assisted in the mapping of the coast of New Caledonia.

Features

Chambeyronia macrocarpa grows to 15 m tall and is found in the understory of rainforest. The solitary stem has rings at regular intervals along it, which are the scars left where leaves were attached that have now fallen. Large feather palm to about 20m, with a spectacular, bright red new leaf, which stays red for up to 10 days. Seeds are red and very large, thus the species name of “macrocarpa”. Although most Chambeyronia only throw two to three new leaves a year, each one is special. This is because they emerge with a gorgeous red color. This red varies from a deep, burgundy wine purple through all intermediate colors to an intense pink.

They can resist temperatures down to 25 degrees. These exotic and rare cold hardy plants thrive in a well-drained, moist climate with full sun to light shade. Don´t forget! It requires consistently moist soil; do not let dry out between waterings, Water regularly; do not overwater. Easy to grow. Do you want to make a home feel like home by giving you the feel of nature? .You can choose inside or out? The Flame Thrower Palm is a wonderful specimen that you must have in whether it is in your home, office, or garden!

Chambeyronia-macrocarpa

Fenestraria rhopalophylla, a beautiful plant from South Africa

Canarius | 17 de junio de 2015 |

Fenestraria_aurantica_1 Fenestraria rhopalophylla ssp. aurantiaca belongs to the family of Aizoaceae. There are various common names, such as babies’ toes or window plant. It´s native to Namibia and Namaqualand in South Africa into the Richtersveld. F. rhopalophylla seems like Frithia pulchra, but its leaves are different because it has yellow flowers, compared with the pink flowers of F. pulchra. The most curious thing is that this succulent plant has unusual leaves with a translucent window on the top, for that is called little “fingers” seems to have eyes on them. Each “finger” has a transparent window at its tip to filter sunlight. On each sheet there is a transparent area, like a window so its Latin name refers to it: “fenestra” (window). This allows photosynthesis That leaves are about 2-2.5 cm in length and its apex is thickened.

In the wild, the plant commonly grows under sand, except for the transparent tips, which allow light into the leaves for photosynthesis .Therefore, this plant is often covered by sand and transparent sheets allow us to light for photosynthesis comes. The plant grows in sandy soils with less than 100 mm of annual rainfall.

Fenestraria-rhopalophylla-ssp-aurantiaca-(3)

Fenestraria rhopalophylla on Canarius.com

It’s bloom in summer, autumn and even winter. It´s very sensitive to frost. The level of the compound in the pot should be slightly below the root collar to be placed above a layer of fine gravel that covers the neck and half the height of the leaves. The lack of light due tissues and rots easily. It should be watered in the growing season, from summer to autumn, but require little water. They should be kept dry during the winter.