The Palmetum of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a botanical garden of 120,000 m² specialized in palms (

Arecaceae The Arecaceae () is a family (biology), family of perennial plant, perennial, flowering plants in the Monocotyledon, monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbing palm, climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly k ...

). It is an artificial hill, with views of the ocean, located in

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The gardens include a large system of waterfalls, streams and ponds, a museum dedicated to palms, and a display shade house. The project was started in 1995 on a former landfill and only opened to the public in 2014.Los príncipes de Asturias inauguran el Palmétum hoy
/ref> The valuable palm collection gathers about 600 species of palms and it is focused on the ones native to world islands. Trees and shrubs of other plant families are also displayed, organised in "biogeographical sections". All gardens are maintained with no pesticides and no fertilizers, different species of wild birds are frequently seen in the palmetum.

Location

The palmetum is located in

, capital city of the Western

, in the district of ''Cabo Llanos'', by the

Parque Marítimo César Manrique The Parque Marítimo César Manrique is an entertainment complex, designed by architect César Manrique, located in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife, Spain). The park is located in the current area of expansion of the capital of islan ...

. It is an artificial hill originally made of rubbish: a former landfill of the city, by the ocean. The average annual temperature is 21,7 °C and the absolute minimum temperature recorded is 13 °C.

History

The old landfill was shut in 1983. The creation of the gardens was started in 1995 with funding from the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

and the City of

, under the botanical direction of the Agronomist

Manuel Caballero Ruano Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

and the biologist Carlo Morici. The landscape designer Carlos Simón directed the construction of various lakes and waterfalls and the plantation of the earliest gardens from 1996 to 1999. The development was paralysed in 2000 for lack of funding. Since then it was kept with basic maintenance until 2006. During 2007 and 2008 some major works were performed in order to push it further. The whole watering system was replaced and the unfinished southern slopes were landscaped. Living collections have been improved and ordered and new geographical sections have been started. More works followed in 2010-2011, with the construction of the entrance building and the

hardscaping Hardscape is hard landscape materials in the built environment structures that are incorporated into a landscape. This can include paved areas, driveways, retaining walls, sleeper walls, stairs, walkways, and any other landscaping made up of ...

of roads and circles. While the park was still closed, the first public guided tours were offered throughout 2013, and it was eventually inaugurated in 2014 by the princes of Spain. It became an official

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

in 2015. Today it is open daily and visited by locals and tourists, with thriving school programs and regular exchanges with other institutions.

Buildings and facilities

* The entrance building has a reception with a small shop and the exhibit hall with a palm museum. Offices are located on the upper floor. A tower with a spiral staircase and an elevator links the entrance with a bridge to the gardens. * The octagon, El Octógono, is a half-sunken shade house of 2.300 m², designed to host the most delicate species. It contains a dense display of tropical plants, crossed by winding paths, streams, bridges, and waterfalls. * The Ethnographical Palm Museum is a semisubterranean structure, partly covered in vegetation. This building is unfinished and still closed. It will host the existing collection of palm-related objects and dry specimens, lecture room.

Living collections

As of 2016, the plant collection includes at least 1853 plant taxa, with focus on island floras. 420 plant taxa are in the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

red list: 73 are

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

and 2

extinct in the wild A species that is extinct in the wild (EW) is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as only consisting of living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range ...

. The palm collection has 573 taxa. 163 are represented by at least one adult. 192 taxa are in the IUCN red list and 38 of them are critically endangered; 42 "IUCN palms" reached the adult stage. Other well-represented families are Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae, Apocynaceae, Bromeliaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae and Moraceae. The collection focuses on palms from islands and the Caribbean species are the most represented. The collection of ''

Thrinax ''Thrinax'' is a genus in the palm family, native to the Caribbean. It is closely related to the genera '' Coccothrinax'', '' Hemithrinax'' and '' Zombia''. Flowers are small, bisexual and are borne on small stalks. Taxonomy In the first edit ...

'', ''

Coccothrinax ''Coccothrinax'' is a genus of palms in the family (biology), family Arecaceae. There are more than 50 species described in the genus, plus many Synonym (taxonomy), synonyms and subspecies. A new species (''Coccothrinax spirituana'') was describe ...

'' and ''

Hemithrinax ''Hemithrinax'' is a genus of palms that is endemic to eastern Cuba. It comprises three species and one variety and was previously included within the genus ''Thrinax''. * '' Hemithrinax compacta'' (Griseb. & H.Wendl.) M.Gómez - Sierra de Nipe ...

'' is one of the most complete in the world, as it proceeds from numerous field expeditions and collaborations with botanical gardens in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

, especially with

La Habana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 178,368 in 2022. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, ...

and Las Tunas in Cuba, the

Montgomery Botanical Center The Montgomery Botanical Center (120 acres), originally known as the Montgomery Foundation, is a nonprofit botanical garden and institution located at 11901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida. It collects seeds from wild plant populations wo ...

in Miami and the Jardín Botánico Nacional de Santo Domingo. Some taxa are grown in sufficient number to allow

ex situ Svalbard Global Seed Bank, an ' conservation ''Ex situ'' conservation () is the process of protecting an endangered species, variety, or breed of plant or animal outside its natural habitat. For example, by removing part of the population from ...

seed production of

species. An outstanding case is '' Coccothrinax borhidiana'', which is a slow and

species, represented in the palmetum by 17 specimens germinated in 1996, now fruiting in the Caribbean section.

Biogeographical sections

The surface of the hill is divided in "biogeographical sections", in order to host the

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

flora from different areas of the world. They are variable in size between 1.000 and 20.000 m². Some sections are landscaped with hills, streams, ponds or waterfalls. Sections are listed below with some of the most significant species represented. * Thermophilous scrub of the Canary Islands: Anaga. This is the large North-facing slope of the hill, planted with the local flora native to the neighbouring mountain chain of

Anaga Anaga massif () is a mountain range in the northeastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The highest point is 1,024 m (Cruz de Taborno). It stretches from the Punta de Anaga in the northeast to Cruz del Carmen in the sou ...

. There are all types of native species, including narrow endemics and native trees, and abundant Canary Islands date palms, Phoenix canariensis. * Madagascar. This large section includes a wide pond with

mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen and remove sal ...

and Typhonodorum lindleyanum. A large group of Bismarckia nobilis tower above the rest. Remarkable palms are the large group of Ravenea xerophila grown in a rockery and three

Tahina spectabilis ''Tahina spectabilis'', the tahina palm, also called blessed palm or dimaka is a species of gigantic palm (family Arecaceae, or Palmae) that is found only in the Analalava District of northwestern Madagascar where its range is only , one of the m ...

, there are different

Ravenea ''Ravenea'' is a genus of 20 known species of palms, all native to Madagascar and the Comoros. It is not to be confused with ''Ravenala'', a genus of superficially palm-like plants also from Madagascar. They are small to large, dioecious palms, ...

Beccariophoenix ''Beccariophoenix'' is a genus of three species of Arecaceae (palms), native to Madagascar. The genus is closely related to the '' Cocos'', or coconut genus, and notably ''Beccariophoenix alfredii'' is similar in appearance to the coconut palm. I ...

, and

Dypsis ''Dypsis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae. They are slender, evergreen palms with yellow flowers carried in panicles amongst the pinnate leaves. Many ''Dypsis'' species have aerial branching (above the main trunk), a rare ...

species .An adult baobab sown in 1996,

Adansonia za ''Adansonia za'' is a species of baobab in the genus ''Adansonia'' of the family Malvaceae (previously included in the Bombacaceae). It was originally named in French as . Common names in Malagasy include , , , , , and , the last of which giv ...

, grows by the lake, and other endemic trees have been planted in the area, such as Delonix species. * Caribbean Islands. It is the largest of all sections and includes the main square of the park, surrounded by

royal palms Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

, with a large waterfall built with local rocks, pouring water into a pond surrounded by fair sand and coconut palms. It is one of the largest collections in the world of Caribbean palms with a special focus on the genus

. Two species of

thrive here: H. ekmaniana and H. compacta. * South America. A straight road follows the stream, planted with some large Attalea and Syagrus of different species, and a representation of the most significant South American palms, including the popular Pejibaye, Bactris gasipaes and Açai, Euterpe oleracea. * Central America. A small section by the lake, where the largest trees are

Sabal mauritiiformis ''Sabal mauritiiformis'', commonly known as the Savannah palm, is a species of flowering plant in the family ''Arecaceae''. It grows in Mexico (Oaxaca, Chiapas, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz), Central America, Colombia, Venezuela and ...

and

Swietenia macrophylla ''Swietenia macrophylla'', commonly known as mahogany, Honduran mahogany, Honduras mahogany, or big-leaf mahogany is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family. It is one of three species that yields genuine mahogany timber (Swietenia), the ot ...

* New Caledonia. This section overlooks the ocean, with a grove of 50

Araucaria columnaris ''Araucaria columnaris'', the coral reef araucaria, Cook pine (or Cook's pine), New Caledonia pine, Cook araucaria, or columnar araucaria, is a species of conifer in the family Araucariaceae. Distribution The tree is endemic to New Caledonia in ...

sown in 2001. There is a grove of red leaf palms, Chambeyronia macrocarpa, and a significant collection of palms and trees endemic to

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

, including

Pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with about 578 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. Common names include pandan, screw palm and screw pine. The genus is classified ...

and

conifers Conifers () are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All e ...

of different species. There is also a collection of food crops from the Pacific islands. * Melanesia. A small section with palms chiefly native to

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

and

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

. Large adult palms are

Carpoxylon ''Carpoxylon macrospermum'' is a species of palm tree endemic to Vanuatu, and the only species in the genus ''Carpoxylon''. It is an IUCN Red List Critically endangered species, threatened by habitat loss. Taxonomy This palm was first described ...

, Veitchia vitiensis and Pritchardia pacifica. Other interesting palms are

Metroxylon vitiense ''Metroxylon vitiense'' (''vitiense'' - originating in Fiji, also known as the Fiji sago palm) is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae, endemic to the islands of Fiji (hence its specific name ''vitiense'', "of Viti", meaning Fiji ...

and

Pelagodoxa henryana ''Pelagodoxa henryana'' is a species of palm tree. It is native to French Polynesia, where it survives on Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands. A population on Raivavae in the Tubuai Islands is presumed extinct.breadnut trees, nonis and other trees and shrubs. * Hawaii. Different species of the only Hawaiian palm genus

Pritchardia The genus ''Pritchardia'' (family Arecaceae) consists of between 24 and 40 species of fan palms (subfamily Coryphoideae) found on tropical Pacific Ocean Pacific Islands, islands in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuamotus, and most diversely in Hawaiian ...

, grow with other Hawaiian endemics, like

Acacia koa ''Acacia koa'', commonly known as koa, is a species of Flowering plant, flowering tree in the Family (biology), family Fabaceae. It is Endemism, endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, where it is the second most common tree. The highest populations ar ...

Erythrina sandwicensis Wiliwili (''Erythrina sandwicensis'') is a species of tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the only species of ''Erythrina'' that naturally occurs there. It is typically found in Hawaiian tropical dry ...

, Hawaiian cotton and different Hawaiian hibiscus. * Australia. Most Australian palm genera are represented in this section and two enormous

Corypha utan ''Corypha utan'', the cabbage palm, buri palm or gebang palm, is a species of palm native to Asia and Oceania. Description It grows up to tall, and, on the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, up to thick (exceeded only by '' Borassus aethiopu ...

are the largest palms in the palmetum. * Asia. The main features are a majestic specimen of

Ficus religiosa ''Ficus religiosa'' or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, bo tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipala tree or ...

, a path overlooking the ocean with

coconut palms The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

and the huge leaves of

Corypha umbraculifera ''Corypha umbraculifera'', the talipot palm, is a species of palm native to eastern and southern India and Sri Lanka. It is also grown in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Mauritius and the Andaman Islands. It is one of the five accepted species in t ...

. Many Asian palm genera are represented and a collection of uncommon banana trees is scattered through this section. * Africa. Many Oil Palms (Elaeis guineensis), and the most iconic African palms: Raphia,

Borassus ''Borassus'' (palmyra palm) is a genus of five species of fan palms, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Papua New Guinea. Description These massive palms can grow up to high and have robust trunks with distinct leaf scars; in so ...

, and

Hyphaene ''Hyphaene'' is a genus of palms native to Africa, Madagascar, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay ...

, but also other genera, including

Medemia ''Medemia argun'' is a rare species of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) native to Egypt and Sudan. It is the only species in the genus ''Medemia''. The palm's dried dates have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Description ''Medemia argun'' i ...

. * Mascarene Islands. A small strip, with mature specimens of the genera

Acanthophoenix ''Acanthophoenix'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Arecaceae, palm family from the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean, where they are commonly called palmiste rouge. A genus long in flux, three species are currently recognized, though u ...

Hyophorbe ''Hyophorbe'' is a genus of five known species of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae, native to the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. All five species can attain heights of over 6 meters, and two of the species develop swollen trunks t ...

Latania ''Latania'', commonly known as latan palm or latania palm, is a genus of flowering plant in the Arecaceae, palm tree family (biology), family, native to the Mascarene Islands in the western Indian Ocean. Species The genus contains three species ...

and

Dictyosperma ''Dictyosperma'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues). The sole species, ''Dictyosperma album'', is widely cultivated in the tropics but ...

. * Biogeographical Sections of New Guinea and of Borneo and Philippines were started in 2007-2008 and are not yet open to the public.

References

External links

Official website of the Palmetum of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

{{Coord, 28, 27, 07, N, 16, 15, 21, W, type:landmark, display=title Santa Cruz de Tenerife Palmetum Botanical gardens in the Canary Islands Protected areas of Tenerife Protected areas established in 1995 1995 establishments in Spain