Plants from the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands hold a completely unique flora with many endemic species, meaning that they are only found here. Although many of the species belong to plant families that are also found elsewhere in the world, one can be amazed at how the environmental conditions of the Canary Islands have shaped the flora in a completely different way.
For example, plants we know as rather small and herbaceous may have relatives on the Canary Islands with woody stems or hard, leathery leaves.
When the risk of temperatures below zero outdoors is over, the collection of plants from the Canary Islands moves outside and is planted in the garden. Every autumn, the plants move to greenhouses (not public) where we can control temperature and light conditions.
A giant sow thistle
It looks like an enormous dandelion. Compared to other species of the sow thistle genus (Sonchus) it is a giant. Sonchus acaulis is one of the any endemic species of the Canary Islands and it doesn't have a common name in English.
The leaves are attached in a rosette on a short woody stem. The leaves can grow 90 cm long, while the inflorescence can reach up to 1,5 metres!