Scientific name: ‘Kunkeliella canariensis’
Common name: Escobilla
Family: ‘Santalaceae’
Genus: ‘Kunkeliella’
Endemic to: Barranco de Guayadeque, Gran Canaria
Description: Plant species considered in danger of extinction in the National Catalogue of Species under Threat and in need of a recovery plan.This is a small sub-shrub of up to 80 cm, in a typical Canaries broom profile and which grows on the inaccessible basalt platforms in the centre east of the island. The sole population exists in the Barranco de Guayadeque, within the Natural Monument of Barranco de Guayadeque, between 500 and 700 metres above sea level. This population has about 100 individual specimens. It is one of the semi-xerophytic species to be found in the thermo-canaries level, and which requires a semi-arid to dry climate. It has tiny leaves and very small individual flowers that are of a creamy green colour that tend to appear in winter, from November until March or April. White fruit appear in March and April. Reproduction is only by seeds and not without difficulty, which constitutes the main threat to its continuity. It is of great scientific interest.
