The
Jardim Botanico displays examples of the kind of trees and shrubs that make up Madeira’s forest. Among them is the aptly named dragon tree, with its smooth bark and claw-like leaf clusters, valued since ancient times for its red sap used for cloth dyeing.
Competing with the dragon tree are the many strange and colourful plants introduced to Madeira from far-distant lands, all displayed here in a series of terraced sunbeds, and now include the tropical orchids [in flower from November to March], while other beds are devoted to the plants that underpin Madeira’s cut-flower trade - such as bird of paradise plants and arum lilies - and a fine collection of cacti and sculptural agaves.
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