Canary bellflower (bicácaro)

Canarina canariensis

A laurel-forest scrambler with orange winter bells and a sweet, fig-like fruit in spring; it dies back to a tuber each summer.

Type: vine · native and wild plants
Hardiness: zones 9 to 11
Light: part shade
Size: about 10 ft tall, 5 ft wide
Harvest: April to June
From: Canary Islands
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.

Good for: food, pollinators, wildlife.

Native to: Atlantic islands (Macaronesia). Hardy in zones 9 to 11.

The story

The Canary bellflower scrambles through the laurel forest of the Canary Islands, opening orange-red bells in the depth of winter, when island birds pollinate them. The soft orange fruit that follows, the bicácaro, was gathered by the Guanches and is still a forest treat.

Planting

Part shade in rich, leafy, well-drained soil, with a shrub or trellis to lean on. Plant the tuber just below the surface in autumn.

Growing

It grows in the cool, wet months and dies back completely in summer. Keep it almost dry while dormant and water again when shoots appear in autumn.

Harvest and use

The fruits ripen orange and soft in spring. Eat them fresh; they taste a little like a mild fig.

What to watch for

Summer watering rots the resting tuber. Slugs eat the new shoots in autumn.

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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home