The Arboretum La Alfaguara was formerly a tree nursery in the

Sierra de la Alfaguara The Sierra de la Alfaguara is a mountain range in the Cordillera Subbética, beside the Sierra de Huétor in southern Spain. It lies within the Parque Natural de la Sierra de Huétor y la Alfaguara. Location The mountain range rises above the ...

, in

Alfacar Alfacar is a historic town approximately from the city of Granada, in the autonomous Spanish region of Andalucia. In the 2005 census, INE reported its population as 5107 inhabitants. The town is on the edge of the Sierra de Huétor Natural Pa ...

near

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

in Spain. It contains samples of many of the trees that are scattered throughout the Sierra and the surrounding mountain ranges. The whole Sierra has been classified as the " Parque Natural Sierra de Huétor". Next to the Arboretum is an entertainment area aimed at schoolchildren in the province of Granada and in

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

as a whole. The Arboretum and entertainment area are administered by the Ministry of Environment of the Junta de Andalucía. The Arboretum lies on the GR-3103 road about from the town of Granada, and about from Alfacar. A forest trail starting from Fuente Grande also leads into the

Sierra de Huétor Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" or "mountain chain" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves ...

History

ArboretumLaAlfaguara Acer opalus granatensis

For most of the last century the Arboretum was a nursery that supplied mainly coniferous plants for the reforestation of the entire Sierra de Huétor, which had had its original vegetation completely destroyed by over-exploitation for forestry and livestock raising. The Arboretum was opened to the public in 2003 after the grounds, walking trails and information panels of the plants found here were established. In 2005 the Association of Scouts of Andalusia rebuilt the road that runs through the arboretum itself.

Trees and birds

The trees found here are deciduous and evergreen coniferous, intermingled as in the natural environment. There are scientific name labels at the foot of the most significant specimens.

Deciduous trees

* Cherry (

Prunus avium ''Prunus avium'', commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry or gean is a species of Prunus subg. Cerasus, cherry, a flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is native to Eurasia and naturalized elsewhere. It is an ancestor of ''Prunus c ...

L.) * Hawthorn (

Crataegus monogyna ''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, whitethorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It grows to about tall, producing plant sexuality, hermaphrodite flowers i ...

Jacq. ) * Pear (

Pyrus communis ''Pyrus communis'', the common pear, is a species of pear native plant, native to central and eastern Europe, and western Asia. It is one of the most important fruits of temperate regions, being the species from which most orchard pear cultivars ...

L.) * Cherry St. Lucia ( Prunus manleb L.) * Apple (

Malus domestica An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

Borkh. ) * Blackthorn ( Prunus espinosa L.) * Elm (

Ulmus minor ''Ulmus minor'' Mill., the field elm, is by far the most polymorphic of the European species, although its taxonomy remains a matter of contention. Its natural range is predominantly south European, extending to Asia Minor and Iran; its norther ...

Mill ) * Hazel (

Corylus avellana ''Corylus avellana'', the common hazel, is a species of flowering plant in the birch tree, birch family Betulaceae. The shrubs usually grow tall. The nut is round, in contrast to the longer Corylus maxima, filbert nut. Common hazel is native to E ...

L.) * Acer (

Acer opalus ''Acer opalus'', the Italian maple, is a species of maple native to the hills and mountains of southern and western Europe, from Italy to Spain and north to southern Germany, and also in northwest Africa in Algeria. Description ''Acer opalus'' ...

subsp. granatense ( Boiss. ) Font Quer & Rothm. ) * Gall (

Quercus faginea ''Quercus faginea'', the Portuguese oak, is a species of oak native to the western Mediterranean region in the Iberian Peninsula. Similar trees in the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa are usually included in this species, or sometimes treate ...

Lam. ) * Poplar, Poplar (

Populus nigra ''Populus nigra'', the black poplar, is a species of Populus sect. Aigeiros, cottonwood poplar, the type species of section ''Aigeiros'' of the genus ''Populus'', native to Europe, southwest and central Asia, and northwest Africa.Flora Europaea' ...

L.) * White poplar (

Populus alba ''Populus alba'', commonly called silver poplar,Webb, C. J.; Sykes, W. R.; Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. IV. Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons. 4. Christchurch, New Zealand, Botany Division, D.S.I.R. si ...

L.) * Hybrid poplar (

Populus x canadensis ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

Moench and Populus x euromericana ( Dode ) Guinier ) * White willow (

Salix alba ''Salix alba'', the white willow, is a species of willow native to Europe and western and Central Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook No. 4. .Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain an ...

L. )

Evergreens and conifers

The stars of the Arboretum are several Atlas cedars with trunks to in diameter, under whose canopy there is a thick formation of seedlings. * Atlas cedar (

Cedrus atlantica ''Cedrus atlantica'', the Atlas cedar, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae, native to the Rif and Atlas Mountains of Morocco ( Middle Atlas, High Atlas), and to the Tell Atlas in Algeria.Gaussen, H. (1964). Genre ''Cedrus''. Les F ...

( Endl. ) Carr ) * Maritime or maritime pine (

Pinus pinaster ''Pinus pinaster'', the maritime pine or cluster pine, is a pine native to the south Atlantic Europe region and parts of the western Mediterranean. It is a hard, fast growing pine bearing small seeds with large wings. Description ''Pinus pinast ...

Ant ) * Yellow pine (

Pinus ponderosa ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is th ...

Dougl. ex Lawson ) * Pine (

Pinus nigra ''Pinus nigra'', the Austrian pine or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula and Lower Austria to the eastern Mediterranean, on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica ...

Arnold ) * Endemic pine (

Pinus sylvestris ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US), Baltic pine, or European red pine is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native plant, native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly s ...

subsp. nevadensis ) * Oak (

Quercus rotundifolia ''Quercus rotundifolia'', the holm oak or ballota oak, is an evergreen oak native to the western Mediterranean region, with the majority of the population in the Iberian Peninsula and minor populations in Northwest Africa. The species was firs ...

Lam. ) * Pinsapo (

Abies pinsapo ''Abies pinsapo'', Spanish fir, is a species of tree in the family Pinaceae, native to southern Spain and northern Morocco. Related to other species of Mediterranean firs, it appears at altitudes of in the Sierra de Grazalema in the Province of ...

Boiss. ) * Spruce (

Picea abies ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, ...

( L. ) H.Karst. ) * Oregon cedar (

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ''Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'', known as Port Orford cedar or Lawson's cypress, is a species of conifer in the genus ''Chamaecyparis'', family Cupressaceae. It is native to Oregon and northwestern California, and grows from sea level up to in the ...

( A.Murray ) Parl. ) * Prickly juniper (

Juniperus oxycedrus ''Juniperus oxycedrus'', vernacularly called Cade, cade juniper, prickly juniper, prickly cedar, or sharp cedar, is a species of juniper, native across the Mediterranean region, growing on a variety of rocky sites from sea level. The specific ep ...

L. )

Birds

Many birds nest is the Arboretum including: * Goldfinch ( Carduelis carduelis ) *

Crossbill Crossbills are birds of the genus ''Loxia'' within the finch family (Fringillidae), with six species. These birds are characterized by the mandibles with crossed tips, which gives the group its English name. Adult males tend to be red or orange ...

( Loxia curvirostra ) * Greenfinch ( Carduelis chloris ) * Tit ( Parus caeruleus ) * Blackbird ( Turdus merula ) *

Kinglet A kinglet is a small bird in the family Regulidae. Species in this family were formerly classified with the Old World warblers. "Regulidae" is derived from the Latin word ''regulus'' for "petty king" or prince, and refers to the coloured crowns ...

( Regulus regulus )

Facilities

Facilities in the Arboretum include: * Bar-restaurant is located at the entrance of the Alfaguara, of relatively recent construction, with a large terrace. * Camping Area. Designated area for tents, where groups of schoolchildren spend the summer season. * Sports and leisure areas. With a large swimming pool, soccer field.

References

External links

Blog de ecología y senderismo
{{coord, 37.26002, -3.53065, region:ES_type:city, display=title Protected areas of Andalusia Protected areas of Spain Arboreta Botanical gardens in Andalusia