Unique trees of the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid 1
Discover the trees that best represent the collection of living plants at Madrid's Royal Botanic Garden.
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The Unique Trees tour takes visitors on a beautiful journey that showcases the most emblematic trees in the collection of living plants at the Royal Botanic Garden (Real Jardín Botánico) in Madrid, run by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
Common cypress (Around 1763)Royal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
Mediterranean cypress/Cupressus sempervirens
This long-living tree species can live for up to 2,000 years and grow up to 115 feet (35 m) tall. This cypress tree is 105 feet (32 m) high and is estimated to be about 260 years old, which is why it is affectionately called The Grandfather of the botanic garden. The tree has been included in the Community of Madrid's Catalog of Unique Trees.
Cypress trunkRoyal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
Many legends have sprung up around this tree. It symbolizes the union between the earth and sky. This is one of the trees most referenced in the Bible, which describes Noah's ark as being built from cypress wood. Interestingly, Alexander the Great is also said to have crossed the Euphrates in a fleet of boats made from this wood.
Iron tree (1917)Royal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
Persian ironwood/Parrotia persica
This tree's common name alludes to the hardness of its wood. An interesting fact: its flowers bloom before its leaves, in March. This specimen was planted in the Royal Botanic Garden in 1917 and is listed in the Community of Madrid's Catalog of Unique Trees.
Himalayan cedar (Around 1901)Royal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
Himalayan cedar/Cedrus deodara
This cedar tree's outstanding wood is a yellowish color and is very strong, thanks to the oils it contains. It was used to build temples, palaces, and other buildings in its native countries. Its epithet, deodara, means tree of the gods, which is why it is planted around temples. This specimen was brought to the Royal Botanic Garden in the first half of the 19th century.
Common hackberry (Around 1841)Royal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
Mediterranean hackberry/Celtis australis
The Mediterranean hackberry, also known as the European nettle tree, has medicinal properties and can be used as an astringent or to prevent bleeding. A yellow dye can also be extracted from its roots. This specimen dates back to when the botanical garden was first established, and is the widest, tallest, and one of the best preserved in the garden's collection of hackberry trees.
Ginkgo (Around 1903)Royal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
Gingko/Ginkgo biloba
This tree, also known as the maidenhair tree, is considered one of the world's oldest living fossils. It has been on the earth for over 250 million years. That is why it is called food of the dinosaurs in Chinese culture. Another interesting fact is that it was the first species of tree to sprout from the earth following the atomic explosion in Hiroshima. This specimen in the Royal Botanic Garden is 100 years old.
Pomegranate (Around 1925)Royal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
Pomegranate tree/Punica granatum
Although this tree's origin is not known, it is thought to have come from the region around Iran and Afghanistan. Its Latin name is derived from the Roman phrase malum punica, meaning apple of Carthage. It was introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by the Arabs and widely cultivated in what was then the Moorish kingdom of Granada, called the Reino Nazarí de Granada. And that is how it got its Spanish name, granado.
Pomegranate (Around 1925)Royal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
The pomegranate tree is the symbol of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) as it is considered to be the tree of science. This photo shows this hundred-year-old specimen as it currently stands in the Royal Botanic Garden, where it has been affected by adverse weather, though it has managed to withstand the urban pollution from the nearby Paseo del Prado boulevard very well.
Red beech (Around 1905)Royal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
Copper beech/Fagus sylvatica purpurea
The timber from beech trees is hard and used in woodwork, and their bark has medicinal properties. These trees are also often mentioned in Greek mythology. This hundred-year-old specimen of copper beech is notable for its size and age in its small habitat at Madrid's Royal Botanic Garden.
Elm (Around 1783)Royal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
Field elm/Ulmus minor
This deciduous tree can be found all over the world, so it is difficult to know where it originally came from. It seems the Celts introduced the tree to Spain from France. This specimen in the Royal Botanic Garden is known as Pantalones, or Pants, because of the shape of its two main branches.
Elm todayRoyal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
Dutch elm disease affects these trees. This photo shows what Pantalones looks like now, after being infected with the disease. It is caused by a parasitic fungus that is passed from one tree to the next by a beetle known as the elm bark borer. It carves out tunnels in the tree bark, transporting spores from the fungus and eventually killing the tree.
Aleppo pine (Around 1806)Royal Botanic Gardens (RJB-CSIC)
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