Botanical walk around Parque de la Fuente Gardens

La Fuente Gardens an Kids playground,  with its pond, gardens, tropical birds and children’s playground, is one of the best places to relax in Salobreña.
Have a look at the rubber plants that provide shade to the park. These come from the South of Asia and were introduced into Europe around 1815. Not only do they look great but they also have areal roots, which need constant humidity and emerge from the lower branches and grow down to the ground.
Their scientific name is ‘ficus elastica’ – which refers to the rubbery latex that the plant has and from which the rubber is obtained. They are a very common plant to have in gardens and parks due to their fine appearance and large tops, which are ideal for providing shade. It is also highly regarded as an interior plant and the flowers can appear throughout the year. The leaves are slightly toxic though, and contact with them (or with the latex) can cause minor skin irritations.
At the edge of the park closest to the town you’ll find a sculpture that celebrates the sugar cane harvest, an ancient crop brought here by the Arabs in the 12th century.
Unfortunately, the closure of La Caleta Sugar Cane Factory in 2006 saw the end of widespread sugar cane production in the area; although it is still grown on small-holdings.

Sugar cane is very sweet because of the sucrose it contains, and its long, green leaves form a tangled web wherever it’s cultivated; which is why the Australian method of harvesting was introduced – burning the canes the day before harvest in order to be more easily cut.
Sugar harvesting took place between April and July, and in the middle of the 14th century the population of Salobreña increased due to the extra workforce needed to carry out the harvest. You can find more information about Salobreña’s association with sugar cane by listening to tracks 12 and 18 on the audio guide – where we talk about The Red House and La Caleta – and also by visiting the Sugar Cane Museum in nearby Motril.

Behind the park you can find the local police station and next to that is the amphitheatre, a great 900 seat outdoor venue where many cultural events take place.

Name: FIG TREE
Scientific name: Ficus Carica
Origin: Mediterranean
Flowering Period: April to November

Native to the southwest of Asia, introduced in the Mediterranean in the Antiquity, it has been naturalized there. It is also cultivated as a fruit tree for the harvesting of the figs. It’s a deciduous medium sized tree which tends to adopt a spherical form. From a central, smooth and greyish brown coloured trunk, several branches grow forming the basic structure. The leaves are big and lobed and the fruit has the shape of a pear.We can find the figs from June to November. They are edible and have a sweet taste. Its colour goes from the dull green to the purple. The off-white sap that sprouts from its stems can produce irritations on the skin. The flowers remain inside the cavity which subsequently will be the fruit, so they are not visible from the outside.

Name: RUBER PLANT
Scientific name: Ficus elastica
Origin: South of Asia
Flowering Period: All year

Tree with a great appearance and aerial roots. It comes from the south of Asia and was introduced in Europe towards 1815. The word elastica refers to the rubbery latex that the plant has, from which the rubber was obtained. It is a very used tree in gardens and parks due to its majestic appearance and its large top, which provides an abundant shade. It’s highly-regarded as an interior plant. Its roots are aerial, and therefore it needs a constant humidity level.The leaves are toxic, and contact with them or with the latex can cause skin irritations. The flowers can appear during all the year.

Name: PAPER FLOWER
Scientific name: Bougainvillea spectabilis
Origin: Brasil
Flowering Period: All year

Brazilian climbing plant used as ornament due to its colourful bracts. These pink leaves, which wrap the real flower and attract the pollinator insects, are often mistaken for petals. There are two species in the coast, the Bougainvillea Spectabillis and the Bougainvillea glabra, this last one with somewhat bigger leaves that can reach up to 10 cm. Many specimens flower all the year long. The paper flower can be found in different colours like purple or orange. It was imported by Louis Bougainville in 1790.

Name: COMMON LANTANA
Scientific name: Lantana camara
Origin: Jamaica
Flowering Period: All year

Jamaican species. In Spanish it’s named banderita española (“little Spanish flag”), due to its red and yellow flowers, although it can also be found in white-rose-yellow colours. This plant doesn’t survive the frosts and needs a very sunny climate; therefore, in the coast of Granada it flowers almost all the year long. It usually forms middle high hedges, although it can rise to over 2 metres.

Name: ROSE OF CHINE
Scientific name: Hibiscus rosa-sinesis
Origin: China
Flowering Period: All year

The plant has big flowers that look like a trumpet, with five petals and very long stamens that can reach up to ten cm. Its flowers can be pink, yellow or orange, but the most abundant variety is the red one. They last only one day or one day and a half. This plant is used in most cases to build hedges, although there are also isolated specimens of a larger size, up to three metres. In places with a warm climate it’s perennial, but it can lose its leaves if it is cold enough. Its wood is very good for cabinet making.

Name: OLEANDER
Scientific name: Nerium Oleander
Origin: Mediterranean
Flowering Period: All year

Mediterranean bush typical of ravines and dried up river banks, used frequently as ornament in the form of hedges or isolated plants in parks, gardens or even in the central reservation of the roads. All the plant is extremely toxic. In the past its burned wood was used to make gunpowder. The flowering period lasts from springtime to autumn, although some specimens flower even out of this season. The flowers are generally pink, although there are also some white or purple ones. Some individuals have flowers with two rows of petals.

Name: CENTURY PLANT
Scientific name: Agave americana
Origin: Mexico
Flowering Period: April to September

Agave = “plant of kings”. It grows in a natural state in Mexico; in Spain it is a naturalized species, colonizer of rocky slopes and sides of the roads, especially near to the coast. In some places it is used as earth fixer. The inflorescence takes 25 years to appear, usually during springtime; after that, the plant dies and generally several “sons” grow around it. The plant can reach 10 metres high. In some areas of Mexico it is called mezcal after the liquor of the same name, which is elaborated from the sap of the plant. The leaves are also used to make paper and very resistant ropes.

Name: YUCCA
Scientific name: Yucca elephantipes
Origin: Mexico and Guatemala
Flowering Period: May to September

Plant native to Mexico and Guatemala, with long, firm leaves and a trunk wider at its lowest part, which gives it the name of “elephant’s foot”. It’s usually mistaken with other species like the cordyline or the dragon tree. There is also another species of thesame gender, the Y. aloifolia, with shorter leaves, about 40-60 cm tall and with a less wide trunk. The flowers are white and edible, and they grow forming big hanging and vertical bunches, especially in the summer months, between June and August.

Name: DWARF FAN PALM
Scientific name: Chamaerops humilis
Origin: Mediterranean
Flowering Period: June to August

One of the few indigenous palm trees of Europe. Its name comes from the Greek chamai= “little” and rhops = “bush”, and the Latin humilis = “dwarf ”. It has palmate and quite big leaves, placed forming a spherical structure when the plant is young. The leaves are covered with a layer that reflects the rays of the sun, decreasing the evaporation of the water from inside the plant. Its growth is very slow, and it usually doesn’t exceed a height of 2 metres, but in favourable conditions it can reach up to 8 metres high. In those cases, the trunk usually widens in its upper part. The inflorescences appear between the leaves, forming bunches, during the summer months. The edible part of the dwarf fan palm is the bud.

Name: DATE PALM
Scientific name: Phoenix dactylifera
Origin: North of Africa
Flowering Period: February to May

It comes from North Africa and southwestern Asia. Similar to the previous one, although we can tell the difference between them by several characteristics: the date palm usually has a longer and narrower trunk that can reach up to 40 metres high. The top is much less dense and the leaves are greyish green, much duller than the leaves of the P. canariensis. The fruits are more elongated than the fruits of the Canary and are edible. The date palm is usually placed forming great lines along the streets and avenues and more seldom as isolate specimens. The flowers develop a little before than the flowers of the P. canariensis, from the beginning of the springtime.

Name: CANARY DATE PALM
Scientific name: Phoenix canariensis
Origin: Canary Islands
Flowering Period: April to June

Palm tree native to the Canary Islands, with a straight and thick trunk that can reach up to twenty metres high. It has a very dense top, full of pinnate leaves of an intense green hue. It’s very popular for gardening in countries with mild and subtropical climates, due to its fast growth, its resistance to many different soils and its magnificent appearance. Usually, the plants are placed isolated, and more seldom forming alignments. Unlike its relative, the P. dactylifera, its fruits are not edible. The flowering period starts in May, when great hanging bunches of little flowers appear. Traditionally, the leaves have been used to decorate balconies during the Palm Sunday. In its place of origin it’s also used to obtain a kind of honey called “miel de palma”.

Name: WASHINGTON PALM
Scientific name: Washingtonia robusta
Origin: California and Mexico.
Flowering Period: May to August

Unlike the previous species, its leaves have the form of a fan. “Robusta” comes from the Latin word robur, which refers to the height, not the thickness, of the trunk. In its places of origin, California and Mexico, it is possible to find specimens up to 30 metres high. In Salobreña we find another similar species, the W. Philifera, that grows less and has a thicker trunk. Due to its origin, both species don’t endure well low temperatures. The flowering period starts at the end of March and may last all the summer, although it depends on the individual.

Name: QUEEN PALM
Scientific name: Siagrus romanzoffiana
Origin: Brasil
Flowering Period: April to July

This Brazilian palm has leaves with a languid appearance, curved down and of a bright green colour. The trunk is smooth and sturdy and doesn’t exceed a height of 20 metres. It’s one of the most used species in street ornamentation due to its fast growth and easy availability. The flowering period lasts from springtime to summer, depending on the specimen. The fruits are available from mid-summer until autumn. Its scientific name is dedicated to a Russian prince.

Name: NORFOLK ISLAND PINE
Scientific name: Araucaria excelsa
Origin: Norfolk Island
Flowering Period: May to July

Great sized tree with a pyramidal appearance and branches that lean upwards. It can reach up to 70 metres. These trees are found as isolated specimens in numerous gardens and parks, always in areas with mild climates, without frosts and near to the coast. The female flowers are pines of about 10 cm in size; the male flowers are usually smaller, have a yellowish colour, and form small groups.

Name: TREE TOBACO
Scientific name: Nicotiana Glauca
Origin: South America
Flowering Period: All year

South American plant with up to 5 metres of height, also called Moorish tobacco, imported in the 16th century by Jean Nicot. Nowadays it is naturalized in almost all the world. It belongs to the family of the solanacene, like the potato or the tomato. The bright green of its leaves is defined by the Greek word glaukós= “bright”. It is very toxic. Its flowers are yellow long narrow bells and we can see them all year long, but they are more present during the summer months.

Name: BERMUDA BUTTERCUP
Scientific name: Oxalis pes-caprae
Origin: South Africa
Flowering Period: November – May

Considered a weed, this south African species has settled the entire peninsula and the Balearic Islands. This plant covers with yellow the custard apple and avocado lands from November until the end of April. Some of them still remain in May. The stem is edible and has a quite pleasant acid taste, from which it receives its name (oxalis= “acid”). It’s an herbaceous plant very dependant of the sun, and its flowers only open when the radiation affects them directly; that is to say, in the cloudy days they remain closed.

Name: LONDON PLANE
Scientific name: Platanus hispanica
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean, southeast of Europe and West Asia
Flowering Period: March – April

A large tree that can be more than 40 m tall. It has a straight trunk and dense crown that casts a deep shade. Its bark is characteristically a mosaic of green, gray and yellow tones, which peels off easily in large sheets. The leaves are deciduous, simple, alternate and palmate with 5 lobes that have sharp irregular points. They are large and measure 12-22 cm in length and 12-30 cm in width. The young leaves have a dense tomentum that is lost with age. The base of the leaf stalk is cap-shaped to protect the following year’s leaf bud. The fruits are compound and globose, and measure 3-5 cm in diameter. They hang down and generally appear in pairs. These balls often remain on the tree when winter comes. They subsequently fall apart and contain many seeds with fine hairs (achenes) that aid their dispersal by the wind. The alternate arrangement of the leaves and the type of fruit allows us to differentiate this species from the Iberian maples that have similar leaves: Acer pseudoplatanus L. and Acer platanoides L. As you can see, the Latin name of both these species alludes to the similarity of the leaves to those of the London plane.

Name: PERUVIAN PEPPER, FALSE PEPPER
Scientific name: Schinus molle
Origin: South America
Flowering Period: All year

This tree of around 10 m in height, which can be as much as 25 m tall in its native range, has scaly, brown, greyish or reddish coloured bark, and elegant hanging branches. The entire plant generates a very aromatic resin that can be appreciated when breaking a leaf or twig. The leaves are persistent, opposite and compound, with 8-20 pairs of leaflets and a terminal one (odd-pinnate). Together the leaves are 10-30 cm long, while the leaflets are linear or linear-lanceolate, serrated on the margin and curved at the tip. The flowers may be unisexual or hermaphrodite, with five whitish petals that are arranged in elongated terminal clusters. They bloom in the spring, although in very mild climates they can flower all year round, with flowers present at the same time as fruits. The fruit appears in clusters; at first they are fleshy, but when ripe they are dry. They are 4-8 mm in diameter, globose, and acquire a characteristic pink or purplish tone. The outer skin is fragile, like a husk, and inside is a 3-5 mm diameter, globose seed.