Reichardia ligulata on Tenerife

Reichardia ligulata? on Tenerife.                                                                        11th March 2019

On a short visit to Tenerife we stayed in Santiago Del Teide, in the Teno region, North West Tenerife.
One trip was to drive out to the Punta de Teno, the lighthouse at the very north west tip of the island via the dramatic road that is cut into the northern cliffs.

The area has a short chapter in the 'Natural History of Tenerife by Philip and Myrtle Ashmore' ,  and contains many endemic species with areas of Euphorbia etc.  ( pages 68 - 71).

We drove out to the end of the road and walked out to the lighthouse.

Looking back towards the mainland from the lighthouse at Punta Del Teno.

Far from a green and pleasant land, the area round the lighthouse is almost devoid of plants.

A yellow composite beside the road.

 With only about three plants to look at, I though I better take some photos of a yellow composite growing right beside the road.

First thing to say was I did not recognise it, another strange plant growing in a very strange place.

Crinkled and spiky leaves growing in a clump with flower stems supporting two or three flowers.

Close up of leaf, thick fleshy with spikes.

Thickened stem before the bulb shaped flower head.  Tough looking bracts stick out but no hairs are present, only a few black bumps a bit like the cockscomb on Cat's-ear (but they are hairs whereas these are just bumps).
(There may have been a few hairs on the inside of the bracts at the tip, see open flowers photo below.)


















A more open flower head shows the yellow petals with slight red in the tips.

Open flower

Top view of flower.

Achenes with white simple hairs.

The 'Natural History of Tenerife' does not claim to be a field guide to the plants of Tenerife however it does have many photos of plants to be found in various habitats. One that seemed to fit was found on page 73 with a very short text, 'Another distinctive plant is the composite Reichardia ligulata with crinkled , fleshy, thorny leaves and all-yellow flowers'

This would seem to fit the plant photographed here although the description lacks the detail to be certain.

Google images for Richardia lingulata have several photographs that correspond well to the above plant, however they also have some photos, that despite being labelled as Reichardia ligulata do not resemble the plants photographed here.  

Unlike the the Tree Sonchus, the Reichardia family does not  appear to have multiple species on Tenerife.  Reichardia ligulata is present on all the Canary Island.

Three plants were present at the lighthouse site beside the approach road.


Peter Leonard
Rampton, Cambridgeshire
2nd April 2019