Dry Area Plants
Lantana
This endemic shrub has beautiful little white flowers with a yellow center and is readily observed on Genovesa Island.
Leather Leaf |
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Leather leaf grows in theGalapagos as either a large shrub or small tree. It is easily recognized by the vertical orientation of the flat, yellow-green leaves. The net effect here is energy conservation, minimizing the leaf surface area exposed to the heat of the sun, also reducing water loss.
Palo Santo
In an effort to conserve moisture, these trees are leafless for much of the year. They have a lichen-covered bark which is silvery-grey in appearance and grow in forests which dot the rolling hills on several islands.
The view has a mystical quality to it, and the feeling ¡s not lessened by the name Palo Santo, which is Spanish for "holy stick." This name actually has a couple of other derivations.
First, the tree takes leaf and blooms around Christmas, which happens to correspond with the beginning of the rainy season. Second, the Palo Santo is related to frankincense, and the sap contains an aromatic resin. The branches are shipped to the mainland where they are burned as incense in churches. Supposedly the branches are also burned locally to repel insects. |
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