Top 10 Madeira (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

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The purple, red,
green, yellow, white and
gold diamonds, lozenges
and circles of this muchphotographed
part of the
garden (left) demonstrate
the richness and variety
of colour to be found just
in the leaves of plants.
Economic Plants ^ If you cannot tell a
mango tree from an avocado,
this is the place to
learn. The plants grown
here are used for food,
fibre, oil or dye. Among
them are several whose
names we know but may
never have seen – such
as coffee, cocoa, sugar
cane, cotton and papaya.
Cacti and Succulents
This part of the garden is popular with
children for its Wild West look (above) and
for the many spiders that use the thorns of
the cacti as supports for their intricate webs. Jardim Botânico
Medicinal Plants & Staff carry out
research using the plants
grown in this section to
find herbal remedies for
maladies from headaches
to rheumatism.
* Topiary Garden
This knot garden
(above) is made of
clipped box, and
planted with shrubs
that can be cut into
spirals, pyramids,
chess pieces and
animal shapes.
Dragon Trees
If ever a plant looked like
its name, the dragon
tree (Dracaena draco) is
it. The fleshlike branches
have scaly grey bark that
looks and feels reptilian,
while the leaves are like
claws or talons. When
cut, the tree “bleeds” a
vivid red sap which sets
to form a resinous gum
known as Dragon’s
Blood, once highly prized
as a dye (it turns cloth
purple). Long before
Portugal colonized
Madeira, sailors came
here to harvest the sap
of these strange trees,
which still grow wild in
Madeira, the Canary
Islands and Cape Verde.
Some of the best views are to be had from the “Lovers’ Cave”
at the topmost point of the garden.
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( Seaside Plants
Though not the most
colourful or spectacular
varieties, Madeira’s many
coastal plants must be
admired for their tenacity.
Most of them manage to
grow on rocky cliffs or
sandy shores, with minimal
fresh water and a
regular soaking in brine.
) Parrot Park
The closer you get to
the southern part of the
garden, the less you will
be able to
avoid the
squawks of
the rare and
exotic birds
that are
housed in the
Parrot Park (left).
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Madeira’s Top 10 21