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Abstract
From 1999 to 2000, four leguminous shrub species endemic to the Canary Islands, Chamaecytisus palmensis (tagasaste), Teline canariensis, Teline osyrioides sericea and Teline osyrioides osyrioides, were studied as a source of animal forage in two different experiments. One experiment was carried out on a crop planted at a density of 5142 shrubs/ha, established in La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain) at 550 m a.s.l., with annual rainfall between 338 and 562 mm. The other experiment was carried out on self‐sown populations of the same species in their natural habitat on the island of Tenerife. The seasonal changes in crude protein, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, organic matter digestibility (OMD) and tannins, of the edible dry matter (EDM) of four cultivated populations were studied. Cuts were made at the end of each season. Cultivated populations of C. palmensis had higher values of crude protein and OMD but lower values of fibrous constituents than Teline species. Cultivated species T. canariensis and T. o. osyrioides had similar crude protein contents while T. o. sericea had significantly lower values (P < 0.05). Cultivated T. canariensis had NDF, ADF, cellulose and lignin levels significantly lower than T. o. osyrioides while T. o. sericea showed higher significant values.