Visnea
A tree with small white flowers and red berries from the laurel forests.
Copyright Egon Krogsgaard
Copyright Egon Krogsgaard
Visnea is one of the many evergreen trees growing in moist laurel forests in Madeira and the Canary Islands. It has small, white, bell-shaped flowers that develop to large red berries.
10-15 million years ago, moist laurel forests covered large parts of Europe. Today, laurel forests are only found in small areas on Tenerife, La Gomera, and Madeira, where the wind from the sea brings moisture and creates a rainy climate all year round.
The laurel forest is a wild and strange type of forest that is most of all reminiscent of a tropical mountain forest. Because of their long history, the laurel forests contain an abundance of plant species that are not found anywhere else in the world.
Facts:
- Greenhouse location: Mediterranean House
- Danish name: Visnea
- Latin name: Visnea mocanera
- Family: Visnea family / Pentaphylacaceae
- Natural habitat: Madeira and the Canary Islands