Scientific name: ‘Teline nervosa’
Common name: Retama peluda
Family: ‘Fabaceae’
Genus: ‘Teline’
Endemic to: Protected area of Pino Santo, Gran Canaria
Other locations: Viera & Clavijo Botanical Gardens
Description: Plant species considered in danger of extinction according to the National Catalogue of Species under Threat, and as such it is in need of a recovery plan. It is an endemic shrub to Gran Canaria that can reach two metres in height, with trifoliate leaves, with yellow flowers on contracted stalks. It can be found within the limits of the Protected Area of Pino Santo, on the dry rocky walls of San Jose del Alamo Riscos de Jimenez and Altos Labay, at an altitude of between 550 and 700 metres. It has a markedly rocky habitat and the dominant orientation is N and NW. Its altitude coincides with the potential contact area between thermophile woodland and the green forest, close presence of bushy leguminous shrubs can also be seen. It flowers between February and April and has striking yellow flowers. it was first discovered in the early 1970’s in Barranco de Teror, and reproduces through the abundant seeds it produces. In his book, ‘Flora of the Canary Islands’ Davd Bramwell notes that its leaves can have both diuretic and calming effects. It is conserved through cultivation in the Viera & Clavijo Botanical Gardens and in La Orotava. Furthermore, the artificial population in the Gran Canaria Gardens is larger than all the natural populations together.
