Lanzarote Flora

Lanzarote’s flora includes sixteen species that only exist on this island. They are part of seventy-one species endemic to the Canary Islands (about thirty of them unique to the eastern islands), and nineteen species endemic to Macaronesian islands.

The low altitude of the island (670 m) does not allow the development of cloud formations associated with the winds (a phenomenon known as the Canaries sea of clouds). This reduces the number of floors in relation to the bioclimatology of the island’s highest archipelago, which are more varied in terms of microclimates. Thus, in Lanzarote, we can distinguish the first floor vegetation associated with coastal and intertidal zones, with species adapted to extremes of heat and salinity, such as grapes.

A second floor relates to tabaiba. Sweet tabaiba is an endemic of the Canary Islands, characteristic of the lower, dry areas. Because of their abundance in Lanzarote, tabaiba was declared as the vegetative symbol of the island. The main tabaiba of Lanzarote is located in the Malpais de la Corona, north of the island.

The upper floor of vegetation zone is dominated by the Canary Island date palm. The main palm grove on the island is located in the “Valley of the Three Thousand Palms,” an oasis north of the island.

Another aspect that has influenced the life of the island has been the different volcanic eruptions that have occurred until very recent times. Thus, while the oldest volcanic areas, such as the Malpais de la Corona, have been inhabited by species such as tabaiba and verodes, the newer volcanic areas, such as Timanfaya, are becoming “living laboratories” that supports colonization of communities of bryophytes and lichens