Walking in the Shade of the Giants
A journey to discover the centenarian trees and palms of the Botanical Garden of Rome.
The Botanical Garden of Rome
Historical garden, scientific research centre and house of rare plant species. But also a green area where everyone can relax and stay in harmony with the plants. All this and much more is the Botanical Garden of Rome.
Our monumental trees
Many factors can contribute to make a tree centenarian, in particular its genetic characteristics and environmental factors. The Botanical Garden of Rome hosts 340 specimens over a hundred years old: among these, 84 are extremely relevant in terms of age and size.
This path will guide you to discover the most significant specimens of centuries-old trees and palms housed in our collections. Let's start from the Palms Collection, along the central avenue.
Palm Collection - Tritoni Fountain (2021-04-23) by UnkonwnMuseo Orto Botanico di Roma
The Palms Collection
This area is the home of over 100 palms from dozens of different species, grown outdoors all year long. This is an image of the central avenue that ends at the Tritons Fountain. The Fountain is surrounded by several Canary Island palms (Phoenix canariensis Chabaud).
We present here three very interesting palms from this collection. The first on the left, also known as the "Mexican blue palm", is a species native to northwestern Mexico. In the middle there is a photo of Washingtonia filifera, a species native to the desert areas of the United States. On the right, you can see a detail of Nannorrhops richteiana, which grows on the ground with prostrate trunks over 12 meters long.
Now, let's move towards the Ferns Valley.
Ferns' Valley (2021-04-23) by UnkonwnMuseo Orto Botanico di Roma
The Ferns Valley
This area, sited in a damp and shady valley, is home to 18 species of ferns. Ferns do not reproduce by seed but by spores. They are therefore archaic plants, both flowerless and fruitless.
Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K.Koch (2021-04-23) by Flavio TarquiniMuseo Orto Botanico di Roma
Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K.Koch - Pecan
On the upper edge of the Ferns Valley stands the imposing Pecan. It is a deciduous species native to North America and it is grown for its seeds, the pecan walnuts. It is in fact a relative of the common walnut, Juglans regia L., which belongs to the same botanical family.
Let's keep on going with the Gymnosperms Collection
Once you reach the entrance of this path, it will seem as if you are entering a real wood.
This collection hosts trees whose seeds, unlike flowering plants, are not encased within an ovary but are "naked". Rather, they sit exposed on the surface of leaf-like structures called bracts, which form structures known as pine cones.
Among the others, three species stand out in this collection. On the left, the majestic Torreya grandis, a species native to China with leaves similar to small flattened needles. In the middle, the golden autumn foliage of Ginko biloba, one of the best known examples of a "living fossil". On the right, the bizarre shape of the Schinus polygamus, also known as the Hardee Pepper Tree, which literally grew hugging the trunk of a Ginkgo biloba.
Turning our backs on the Gymnosperms Collection, we will find ourselves in front of the Orangery, a low and long greenhouse used to shelter citrus during the winter in the 1930s.
Right in front of the Orangery, there is a huge specimen of Cork Oak, certainly one of the largest plants in the Botanical Garden. It was planted before the botanical garden opened in 1883, in what was then the garden of the Villa Corsini. Judging by its size, the plant is no less than 300 years old.
Quercus suber L. (2021-04-26) by Elisabetta CongiaMuseo Orto Botanico di Roma
Quercus suber L. - Cork Oak
Try to observe the bark closely: it is the most distinctive character of this species! It can thicken up to 10 cm, protecting the tree from fires, which are very frequent in Mediterranean woods where this species grows spontaneously.
The Staircase
After a stop under the canopy of the great Cork Oak, we can now go on along the path. We cross the collection of the Gymnosperms, turn right and find ourselves at the bottom of the Staircase of the Eleven Fountains.
This monumental staircase was built in 1742 and in the following years on a project by the architect Ferdinando Fuga. The structure is articulated on three flights of stairs and is enriched by five overlapping basins, each equipped with two jets and surmounted by a summit basin with a jet gushing from a dolphin.
Platanus orientalis L. (2021-04-23) by Flavio TarquiniMuseo Orto Botanico di Roma
Platanus orientalis L. - Eastern Plane Tree
This species was widespread in the gardens during the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries. It is native to southern Italy, Balkan Peninsula, Crete, western Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq. The monumental planes of the Botanical Garden were planted around 1750.
A Goodbye
Here, in the shade of the imposing oriental plane trees on the top of the Staircase of the Eleven Fountains, ends our short journey through the centenarian trees of the Botanical Garden of Rome. But other stories, paths and discoveries are waiting for you!
Giulia Torta, post graduate trainee at the Botanical Garden of Rome
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