Tag Archives: Mediterranean Climate

All about the Kasturi Mango in Europe, Mangifera casturi

mangifera-casturi-kasturi Canarius | Thursday December 9th, 2021 |

Kasturi is not just another good-tasting cultivar of mango. It is a fully different species of Mangifera, from Kalimantan (Borneo). Some people say it is not a mango, it is a Kasturi! Fruits of Mangifera casturi are black-purple skinned, their flesh is deep orange, sweet and loaded with flavour and vitamines.

Kasturi is extinct in the wild and survived in cultivation

mangifera-casturi-kasturi

The species was unknown in the western world until a few years ago. It is sadly extinct in the wild, as Kalimantan forests have been extensively cut. It survived in cultivation around its native areas. The Banjar people of the South of the island hold these fruits in high esteem. No commercial plantations have ever existed, while they are grown for personal consumption by lots of private farmers-gardeners, since the wild harvest is no longer possible. The natural forest is lost forever and we can rescue only a slice of its original diversity.

Casturi mangoes can grow very tall and its hard to pick them. They do well in low altitude lands with alluvial soil and enough water. The fruits is consumed fresh and seldom processed in jams since fresh fruits are always in great demand by the Banjar. The rest of the world barely knew about the existance of this extinct-in-the-wild fruit and only a group of specialists in South Florida and in the Canary Islands became familiar with them.

To graft or not to graft Kasturi?

Yes! Unless you live in a deeply tropical everwet lowland, then you’d better graft it on Mangifera indica. This is because Mangifera casturi has delicate roots which are adapted to equatorial soil conditions. Non-grafted kasturi will take eons to grow and fruit in non-tropical areas. Their leaves often grow crinkled when it is not hot enough and the trees are sensitive to wind. It is a bit tricky to graft M.casturi on M.indica but we do it, and we graft them on the cold-proof mango rootstocks from Mangifera Gomera-1 and Gomera-3. This changes the whole world and allows the delicate equatorial kasturi to grow very well here in the non-tropical Canary Islands. Grafted trees are stouter, with darker, thicker, shorter leaves, they flush well even if not in summer and fruit much earlier and regularly.

mangifera-casturi-kasturi

Kasturi mangoes in Europe

We have been leaders in disseminating Mangifera casturi throughout Europe, since we shipped the first grafted plants in 2016. So far, our plants reached lots of customers, mostly collectors scattered throughout Europe. It is by far too early to tell, but we got lots of positive reports from our clients. Quite a few have been planted outdoors in the best climates and now they are growing outdoors in Madeira, Southern Italy, Portugal and Greece. In the meantime, kasturi trees are becoming popular among collectors in Florida, since the team of Fairchild Gardens started to show and spread them.

Where did the Canarian kasturis come from?

They are the grandchildren of the Bajar trees ! In the late 1990′s Fairchild Gardens of Miami organised a collection of rare Mangifera species with lots of new seeeds and scions coming from the countries of origin. The team of Richard J. Campbell studied their growth and grafting. They  selected the ones that best thrived in South Florida.

Richard was in touch with Domingo Fernandez-Galvan, of the ICIA research center in Tenerife, who soon got backups of the best scions. Domingo grew them to maturity in the lands of the astonishing collection of fruits “La Cueva del Polvo”, held by the ICIA in SW Tenerife, in a mild, always dry, sunny and windless climate. Two kasturi trees grew huge and started fruiting but they fell into oblivion, both because they were not part of any research project of the ICIA, and because Domingo and other workers did not like the fruits, for being small, with too many fibres and a strong wild flavour. In one visit to the fruit collection, around 2006, Carlo Morici of the Palmetum de Santa Cruz tried some fruits Mangifera casturi and Mangifera laurina from the trees and fell in love with them. He got a box of fruits from Domingo and shared them with friends. Many found in that it was a new superior taste. Carlo convinced Domingo to give more attention to these wild species and Domingo soon organised a release of this new fruit tree with the help of Miguel, expert grafter, fruit grower and nurseryman of Northern Tenerife. Miguel had signed an official cooperation and could get a few hundreds of scions to make the first commercial sales and more mother plants for the future. Domingo passed away a few years later but thanks to him the orchards of Tenerife include hundreds of rare fruit trees, like kasturi and more.

The cold-hardy Gomera-1 Mango Tree

Canarius | Sunday May 29th, 2011 |

Gomera-1 is a hardy variety of Mango suited to a coastal Mediterranean climate. It is used as a rootstock for grafting other cultivars of mango, because the roots of Gomera-1 grow better in colder or dryer areas and improve the cold-hardiness of the plant.

Two Mango Gomera-1 trees in a poorly irrigated terrace in Southern Anaga, Tenerife.

This variety of mango is well adapted to the environment of the Canary Islands. It can be seen thriving in windy areas with rocky soils. It is unscathed by cool and wet winters and fruits very well and regularly. It is found on many islands and it was probably, initially brought from Cuba. The name Gomera refers to the island of La Gomera, one of the seven islands of our archipelago. This is where Canarian agronomists collected the first samples to study this mango which is quite common in the rural areas of the islands.  Fruits are yellow, small to average size (250 g average), with  very good flavour, sweet, aromatic, with a high content in fibres.

Yellow fruits of the Cold Hardy Canarian Mango named Gomera – 1

Cultivation

It needs just the same conditions of any other mango trees. It is reproduced from seed. As a polyembrionic Mango, 90% of the seedlings are true to type. Adult trees are able to flower up to 3 times a year. If it is too cold or wet, they will loose the inflorescences and flower again, about 2 months later, until the right season for fruit set is matched. In order to achieve larger fruits sizes, it is good to remove by hand 1/3 of the fruits from the bunch. Gomera-1 fruits outdoors in coastal Mediterranean climates and it needs little or no protection in coastal Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece and also in the French Riviera.

Use as Root Stock for Grafting

Mango Gomera is regularly used as a rootstock for grafting throughout the Canary Islands and also in Andalusia. The use of the Canarian Hardy Mango as a rootstock permitted to push the commercial production of Mango in the Mediterranean basin, because the roots are hardier to cold and wet soil. All the different varieties of mango trees that we offer for sale are grafted on Gomera-1 rootstocks, so our customers in Europe will get the benefit of some added cold resistance from the roots.

Gomera mango trees used as a rootstock to graft different varieties

Gomera mango trees used as a rootstock to graft different varieties

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 them directly to your home. Try also our delicious Mango jam with or without sugar, in the honeys & jams section, produced with the mangoes of the Canary Islands.

Aechmea triangularis survives to -6 C (21 F) and blooms

Canarius | Monday February 14th, 2011 |

Aechmea triangularis grows very well in mediterranean climate and warm temperate climates. It is an attractive bromeliad with golden-green leaves and brow-black spines. It produces a long lasting inflorescence in late spring, with red bracts and blue flowers. Before blooming, tips of leaves fold back forming a triangle, enhanced by dark red markings. Grow it in bright sun conditions, with little or no fertilizer, to achieve more compact and colurful plants.

Charlie Dill’s picture of Aechmea triangularis, blooming after a freeze

Aechmea triangularis can take low temperatures with little or no damage at -6 C (18 F) for several hours. About its cold tolerance, there is an interesting report written by Charlie Dill about different bromeliads surviving to -6 C (21 F) in California has texts and pictures of this species.

LINK TO CHARLIE DILL’S FROST DAMAGE REPORT OF AECHMEA TRIANGULARIS AND OTHER BROMELIADS

Charlie Dill’s picture of an unscathed Aechmea triangularis

Our Shop

Please visit the Bromeliad Section of our Shop and check back often, because we offerent different bromeliads at different times of the year. We ship bromeliads to anywhere in Europe. Our bromeliads are already growing in many European countries, such as Spain, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Germany. All bromeliads in catalogue are sold as bare-rooted “pups”, which are the robust basal suckers produced after blooming. Our pups are very easy to root – some will already show some roots when you open the box.

Aechmea triangularis with dark leaf tips before blooming

Aechmea triangularis with dark leaf tips before blooming

A shop for Cycas and Cycad plants in Europe. Some good reasons to choose Canarius.

Cycas sp silver leaf Canarius | Friday January 7th, 2011 |
  1. Cycas sp silver leafWe offer the largest selection in Europe of the genus Cycas. Even more species will be added in the next months and years. You can buy them in the Cycad Shop, at www.canarius.com.
  2. All our plants are at least 2,5 years old. We ship no seeds, no two-leaf seedlings, no bare-root plants. Our cycads are solidly rooted in the pot. Many of them have coralloid roots: a good sign of health and age.
  3. We sprout our seeds. We do not import and re-sell cycads. Our plants have no stress from a past importation from a remote county with a different climate. They are ethically correct and suppose no environmental damage.
  4. We use no greenhouse, except for seed sprouting. Our cycads are robust plants grown outdoors, with mere summer shading. They have shorter, stiffer leaves with better caudexes.
  5. We are not in a tropical climate. The Canary Islands have a mediterranean climate with a bit warmer temperatures. Plants will stop in winter. They grow in the right way thanks to this rest.
  6. Our plants are all LEGAL. All species are protected by CITES regulations. All our plants have been started from seeds with official papers. If you are not in the European Union, we will prepare a special CITES Export Document when we ship these plants.
  7. We ship to anywhere in the world. We ship our plants worldwide, with all the necessary documents: CLICK HERE, and read about our worldwide shipping.

How is the exact look of the plants we offer?

Click HERE and you will see pictures of many of our plants just before packing.

How do we wrap and pack the plants?

See some pictures of our packing system.

Read more and see HOW WE PACK and WHAT WE PACK.

Dioon Holmgreenii

Dioon holmgreenii

Click HERE if you want to know about shipping costs.

Furcraea gigantea variegata in the nursery

Canarius | Wednesday December 22nd, 2010 |

Furcraea gigantea variegata is a spectacular ornamental plant for Mediterranean to Tropical climates.

When a specimen blooms, it produced a huge, tall structure with abundant flowers. Some months later, hundreds of aerial pups are produced on the inflorescence and they are collected for reproduction. A few, non-variegated (non-striped) plants are discarded and only the variegated plants are kept. Here you can see some small pups rooting in the nursery.  This picture was taken in Spring 2010.  Nine months later, these plants are ready for the market and average 40-50 cm in height.

These plants are NOW AVAILABLE ! – You can buy them in the Agave Section of our shop.

Furcraea gigantea variegata in the nursery

Furcraea gigantea variegata in the nursery

A new variegated Agave attenuata from Tenerife

Canarius | Wednesday December 1st, 2010 |

We grow a new variegated form of Agave attenuata with striped leaves. It is unique because it appeared in the Canary Islands from a normal plant. In 2004, the local plant grower Luís Borja obtained the original variegated branch from a plant grown in Tegueste, Northern Tenerife. Agave attenuata Tenerife is only reproduced by pups, so it takes a lot of time to make many plants.

We reproduced the plant on a small scale and it was released in 2010 with the name Tenerife.

Agave attenuata Tenerife is a very stable variegated clone of Agave attenuata. Stripes are yellow, often close to the margins but sometimes scattered anywhere in the blade. Leaves are particularly waxy.

Variegated Agave attenuata Tenerife

Variegated Agave attenuata Tenerife

Agave attenuata Tenerife is a good grower if compared to other variegated types of  Agave attenuata, because it is quite fast growing and it will seldom or never burn in full sun.

Agave attenuata variegata Tenerife

Agave attenuata variegata Tenerife

You can buy rooted pups of this succulent plant in the Agave Shop, at Canarius.com.

The following pictures show normal, non-varigated pictures of Agave attenuata, which is a widespread ornamental plant in the Canary Islands,

Normal Agave attenuata in Tenerife

Normal Agave attenuata in Tenerife

 

Agave attenuata Clump

Clump of a typical, non-variegated Agave attenuata

Hardy Bromeliads for Outdoor Conditions

Canarius | Tuesday October 19th, 2010 |

Bromeliads, or Bromeliaceae, are highly appreciated plants because of their incredible colours and inflorescences, and their ease of growth in pots.

  • Garden Centers througout the world sell floppy-leaved hybrids with green leaves.
  • Canarius on the internet offers tough-leaved species with colourful leaves, grown in the Canary Islands.

Neoregelia chlorosticta blooming with yellow and red leaves

Floppy leaved, green bromeliads

  • Taxonomy: These plants often belong to the genera Guzmania and Vriesea
  • Conditions: They come from humid forest environments. They grow well in low light, sheltered conditions. They are sensitive to wind, drought, sunlight and temperature shocks. They are good for the terrarium.
  • Where: in the greenhouse, terrarium, sheltered patio.

Tough-leaved, colourful bromeliads

  • Taxonomy: Most of them belong to the genera Aechmea, Billbergia and Neoregelia.
  • Conditions: They grow well in non-tropical climates. They like temperature changes and can better stand outdoors conditions in general. They seldom burn in the hottest sun, they stand wind very well. Many of the tough-leaved Bromeliaceae are resistant to occasional frosts, without any damage. They will always tolerate drought for days or even weeks. Most of our species will thrive outdoors in mediterranean climates, with minimal protection.
  • Where: In the garden, sunny patio, balcony or terrace, being Subtropical and Mediterranean to Warm Temperate. They can be kept in your home during the colder months.

Aechmea lueddemanniana is a stiff-leaved bromeliaceae with long lasting flowes and fruits.

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Our Shop

Please visit the Bromeliad Section of our Shop and check back often, because we offerent different bromeliads at different times of the year. We ship bromeliads to anywhere in Europe. Our bromeliads are already growing in many European countries, such as Spain, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Germany. All bromeliads in catalogue are sold as bare-rooted “pups”, which are the robust basal suckers produced after blooming. Our pups are very easy to root – some will already show some roots when you open the box.

Aechmea triangularis with dark leaf tips before blooming

All bromeliads in catalogue are sold as bare-rooted “pups”, which are the robust basal suckers produced after blooming. Our pups are very easy to root – some will already show some roots when you open the box.

List of the Palm Species grown in the streets and parks of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands

Canarius | Tuesday July 27th, 2010 |

This list is retrieved from the Palmtalk forum of the International Palm Society. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is called the Capital City of Palms in Europe, because a large number of palm species is used in public landscaping. There are more than 60 species in streets and parks of this city in the Canary Islands. Furthermore, almost 500 species can be found in the Palmetum de Santa Cruz, which is a large botanical garden located in this city.

You can buy all these palm trees and many more in the Palm Section of our Shop – We ship young plants to anywhere in Europe.

Below you will find the List of the Palm Species grown in public spaces of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The Cuban Royal Palm, Roystonea regia is very common in the streets of Santa Cruz

  1. Acoelorraphe wrightii
  2. Archontophoenix alexandrae
  3. Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
  4. Bismarckia nobilis
  5. Brahea armata
  6. Butia capitata
  7. Caryota mitis
  8. Caryota urens
  9. Chamaedorea costaricana
  10. Chamaedorea elegans
  11. Chamaedorea metallica
  12. Chamaedorea seifrizii
  13. Chamaerops humilis
  14. Chamaerops humilis cerifera
  15. Chambeyronia macrocarpa
  16. Cocos nucifera
  17. Coccothrinax barbadensis
  18. Copernicia alba
  19. Dypsis decaryi
  20. Dypsis leptocheilos
  21. Dypsis lutescens
  22. Elaeis guineensis
  23. Gaussia maya
  24. Howea belmoreana
  25. Howea forsteriana
  26. Hyophorbe lagenicaulis
  27. Hyophorbe verschaffeltii
  28. Latania lontaroides
  29. Latania verschaffeltii
  30. Licuala spinosa
  31. Livistona australis
  32. Livistona chinensis
  33. Livistona decora
  34. Phoenix canariensis
  35. Phoenix dactylifera
  36. Phoenix reclinata
  37. Phoenix teophrastii
  38. Pritchardia hillebrandii
  39. Pritchardia pacifica
  40. Pritchardia thurstonii
  41. Ptychosperma elegans
  42. Ravenea rivularis
  43. Rhapis excelsa
  44. Roystonea oleracea
  45. Roystonea regia
  46. Sabal minor
  47. Sabal sp.
  48. Syagrus romanzoffiana
  49. Thrinax radiata
  50. Trachycarpus fortunei
  51. Veitchia sp.
  52. Wallichia disticha
  53. Washingtonia filifera
  54. Washingtonia robusta
  55. Wodyetia bifurcata
Spindle palm in Tenerife

Hyophorbe verschaffeltii is planted in many streets of Tenerife

Canarius Bromeliad Nursery grows the colourful species hardy to outdoors conditions

Bromeliad Shop – From the Canary Islands to your home

Canarius | Friday June 11th, 2010 |

Bromeliads, or Bromeliaceae, are highly appreciated plants because of their incredible colours and inflorescences, and their ease of growth in pots. Canarius.com  offers on the internet tough-leaved species with colourful leaves, grown in the Canary Islands. Our bromeliad nursery was expanded in 2012 so our offer is continuously growing with new products. We ship worldwide !

Neoregelia chlorosticta

Neoregelia chlorosticta is a colourful bromeliad


Our Selection of Bromeliads

Billbergia elegans

Delicate flowers of Billbergia

Our shop offers a fine selection of tough-leaved bromeliads that are never available through garden centres.

Most of them belong to the genera Aechmea, Billbergia and Neoregelia. In the Bromeliad Section of our Shop you can buy the most unusual bromeliads with the thickest and most colourful leaves, better adapted to hot and cold conditions of outdoor life. We also offer a selection of “classic” hybrids that have succeeded throughout the years.  Our species grow well in non-tropical climates. Here they are grown outdoors because they like temperature changes and stand outdoors conditions in general. Our bromeliads will better tolerate:

  • Hot direct sun
  • Wind
  • Occasional frosts
  • Drought for weeks

Different light intensities will give plants with different growth and different colours. We grow our plants outdoors, with little or no shade, in order to achieve robust growth and bright colours.

We ship bare rooted plants and “pups”

Aechmea nudicaulis - Bare-root pups

Bare-root pups of Aechmea nudicaulis, ready to be packed.

All bromeliads in catalogue are sold as large pups, which are the robust basal suckers produced after blooming. This type of cutting is the safest way to reproduce bromeliads, because all pups are identical to the mother plant with no unwanted crossings. Futhermore, pups are much stronger than seedlings.

We pre-root the pups for weeks so most of our “pups” will already show some roots when you open the box. Most of these plants are more than pups will reach flowering size in about one year.

In some cases, especially for larger species, pups will be collected shortly after you place the order. They will show few or no roots. Bromeliads can resist for weeks and months without any root because they rely on the water they keep in the leaves. They will quickly set new roots when put in a draining soil at warm temperatures.

Aechmea pectinata pups

Aechmea pectinata pups produced in the Canary Island

  • Large species give large pups: We select and ship to your home cuttings of 35-50 cm for large species such as  Aechmea blanchetiana, A. callichroma and Neoregelia joannis. Their weight is 300-600 grams. Pups of large species will often lack roots. The largest species are can take 2 – 3 years to reach maturity.
  • Small species give small pups. Plants like Neoregelia maculata, Aechmea gamosepala and Billbergia elegans can measure 18-30 cm and weight just 150-250 grams. Pups of small species will often have roots. They will probably bloom in one year or less.

If you want to see more pictures of the plants we sell, then visit THIS LINK and see our plants on the packing desk and learn more about what we ship.

Neoregelia burlemarxii

Neoregelia burlemarxii becomes purple during the blooming months

Our Shop

Please visit the Bromeliad Section of our Shop and check back often, because we offer different bromeliads at different times of the year. We ship plants to anywhere in Europe and soon to the rest of the world. Our bromeliads are already growing in most European countries. In 2013 we start shipping worldwide our products !

Aechmea blanchetiana grows

Aechmea blanchetiana grows in full sun and takes light frosts

BACK TO THE BROMELIAD SHOP

In the garden, sunny patio, balcony or terrace, being Subtropical and Mediterranean to Warm

Mango Varieties sold by Canarius for Mediterranean and Subtropical Climates

Canarius | Wednesday May 5th, 2010 |

The mango tree, Mangifera indica, is an evergreen tropical tree tolerant of cooler conditions and short droughts. There are literally thousands of different types, called varieties or cultivars.

Canarius offers a selection of varieties better adapted to non tropical climates, grafted on a the hardy rootstock “Gomera-1″. You can buy young trees in the shop. Mango will effortlessly grow and fruit outdoors in warm Mediterranean Climates, such as coastal areas of Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece. Adult plants resist short freezes at -4°C (25°F), but young trees are more sensitive. Mango is the third most important tropical crop in the Canary Islands, after banana and avocado.  

This is Mango Irwin, grown in Tenerife

Different varieties hide different flavours, fruit sizes and colours. Mangos may be dark green, greenish-yellow, yellow, red, orange or purple. By planting different varieties, the fruiting season can be extended up to four months. Low-growing varieties, such as ” Keitt ” can grow and fruit in large pots. The yellow Canarian mango “Gomera” is the most resistant to cold and frost and it fruits even in South France. “Lippens” fruits well in cooler conditions, so it is planted at higher elevations in the Canaries. “Osteen” is grown commercially in Mediterranean Southern Spain.

Grafting is the best way to reproduce the best varieties. The mangos sold at Canarius are all grafted and the rootstock is the hardy canarian mango “Gomera-1″, because it is resistant to drought and wet, cool soil in winter. Our mango trees are hardier to cold because we use this type of rootstock.

Fruits of Mango Gomera-3. Gomera is a hardy Canarian variety used as a rootstock. Mango trees grafted with gomera are less sensitive to cold and drought.

Canarius offers the varieties that are planted here in the Canary Islands, in our subtropical-mediterranean climate. We ship to your home the same grafted trees that are sold to local farmers , ready to go to the field: same plants, same size, same deep pots.

The plants you purchase are at least 2 years old, because the root trees are grown for 1,5 years before grafting. Then they are grafted and grown for at least six  moremonths. These plants will fruit in two or three years. They will bloom very soon but you will need to remove the inflorescence during the first two years, to allow stronger vegetative growth before fruiting.

Grafting Mangos in the Nursery

In our shop you can purchase 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.

List of our stock of Mangifera indica
(Not all varieties are available at any time. Sometimes we only supply a few mango cultivars.)

  • Anderson
  • Ataulfo
  • Bill
  • Edward
  • These are the mango plants that we ship to your homeFord
  • Gomera (Hardy Mango)
  • Haden
  • Heidi
  • Irwin
  • Isis
  • Kensington
  • Keitt
  • Lily
  • Lippens
  • Manzanillo
  • Mun
  • Osteen
  • Palmer
  • Sensation
  • Tolbert
  • Tommy Atkins
  • Valencia Pride
  • Van Dyke
  • Zill