Terrestrial flora

The different natural environments of the islands give rise to a variety of vegetation.

Sand banks and dunes, highly arid substrates, force plants to develop special adaptations: lighter colours to reflect sunlight, very deep roots to reach the water table, bulbs to store rainwater, etc... These are plants with a very restricted distribution and obligatory adaptation. Marram grass, sea daffodils, and the Malcolmia littorea are representative species in these areas. The Portuguese crowberry, the spiny thrift and the sand toadflax find their ultimate shelter in the islands' dunes.

The cliffs, areas of scarce substrate and strong salt laden winds, only permit the survival of highly adapted plants such as the sea fennel,engels gras and sea mayweed. The Portuguese angelica stands out as the exclusive plant of the Northwest peninsula, associated with cliffs frequented by seagull colonies.

The scrubland dominated by gorse and sloe is sub-Mediterranean in nature with species such as the flax-leaved daphne and northern white rockrose. The characteristic prominent species of these scrubs is the "xesta de Ons" (Cytisus insularis), which is a new species of broom found on the island of Ons.

There are small woodlands of native trees, mainly Pyrenean oak, in areas most protected from the ocean wind, on the islands of Cíes, Ons and Salvora. The woods in Cortegada extend almost all over the island and have greater tree diversity: bay, willow, oak, and alder, due to its sheltered location in the interior of the Ría de Arousa. 
Eucalyptus, pine and acacia trees planted on the islands in the 20th century are now being eliminated to recover autochthonous natural ecosystems.

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