Fig. 2

Detail of the heartwood of the Canary pine or Pinus Canariensis, a protected tree species in the archipelago. Its wood shows a sharp contrast between the sapwood, or outer part, and the heartwood, or inner part. The first is soft and yellowish-white in colour; the inside, the tea, is very resinous and has a reddish colour. It takes at least 30 years for the tree to start forming tea. The tea is practically incorruptible and solid, and has always been highly prized in construction. Source: authors