Cacti. Cacti and succulents in the Canary Islands. Flowers of the Canary Islands.

Cacti

Jardín de Cactus, Lanzarote

    There are no native species of the cactus family in the Canary Islands. However, some species introduced by humans are widespread throughout the region, such as Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly known as the prickly pear, whose fruits are edible and were of great economic importance in centuries past.
    However, the cultivation of cacti for ornamental purposes is very widespread amongst the people of the Canary Islands, and they can be found in almost all the parks and gardens on the islands. This is particularly true of the Opuntia, Euphorbia, Cylindropuntia, Cereus, Echinocereus and Echinopsis genera.
    There are also two major public collections of cacti. The Lanzarote Cactus Garden, created by the painter and architect César Manrique, is home to some 4,500 specimens of 500 different species from all over the world. And Cactualdea Park, on the island of Gran Canaria, which boasts more than 1,200 species of cacti and other succulent plants brought from places as far afield as Madagascar, Mexico and Bolivia.