Blog: Marimurtra alive

The University of Barcelona publishes the botanical guide to the Ferran Soldevila garden of the UB

This 2023, Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona has published the long-awaited botanical guide on what is one of the most unknown jewels of the city of Barcelona, the Ferran Soldevila garden.

Integrated into the historic building of the University, the garden has almost 250 species that present a synthesis of the rich variety of ornamental and street plants, in which allochthonous or exotic flora is combined with that which grows spontaneously everywhere of the country.

This guide catalogs the garden plants in sheets that include the scientific name of each, a brief morphological description accompanied by photographs, the geographical distribution and ecology, an indication of the period of flowering and fruiting, and even data on the its uses and some historical note. The book also contains indexes of scientific names and names in Catalan, a glossary and, inside the flap, a detailed map which, in addition to allowing you to locate and identify the plants while walking around the garden, offers information about the flora and the visits guided tours in the Historic Building.

From the Jardí Botànic Marimurtra we encourage you to visit the historic and unique garden of the University of Barcelona accompanied by this friendly guide who will enlighten you about the species that live there and will certainly enrich your visit to this wonderful corner of Barcelona.

About the authors:

Cèsar Blanché i Vergés (Barcelona, 1958) is professor of Botany at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona and full academician of the Royal Academy of Pharmacy of Catalonia. Researcher in the field of conservation biology of threatened plants and member of the Plant Biosystems Research Group and the Teaching Innovation Group in Botany Applied to Pharmacy, he has also been patron of the Carl Faust Foundation of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden Blanes He is co-author of several projects using university gardens as a teaching resource.

Ramon Maria Masalles i Saumell (Blancafort, Conca de Barberà, 1948) is a retired professor of Botany at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona and a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona. Co-author of the Flora manual dels Països Catalans, his research has focused on geobotany, and particularly on the study of non-native flora and the herbaceous communities of Catalonia. He has taught the master’s degree in Landscape Architecture at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and is currently patron of the Carl Faust Foundation of the Marimurtra Botanic Garden in Blanes.

This specimen of Melaleuca armillaris from the Marimurtra Botanical Garden suffers from its architecture that is dominated by other trees and a horizontal branch that threatens to break. The aim of the intervention is to prevent breakage. This proposal is known as dynamic artificial support, and is based on a concept called the thigmomorphogenesis effect, which involves the movements and biochemistry that determine tree growth.

Instead of using a fixed support, which would limit the growth of the tree, a dynamic solution has been chosen that allows movement. When there is wind, the lift is adjusted because the branch goes down, and when there is no wind, it goes up, to imitate the natural movement that the branch would make without any support and therefore the tree continues to have the perception of the load of the winds

In the technical field, this dynamic support is composed of a tube that fits into another, and in which there is a shock absorber that works in oscillations to avoid unwanted vibrations. It is therefore a question of the tree making a natural regulation of the risk, through adaptive growth, producing reaction wood wherever it is needed.

Both the design proposal, installation and technical information have been provided by Sergi Perdices, Arborist, Manager of Naturalia Jardiners and Josep Manel Fernández, recognized master trainer of arborists.

The Marimurtra Botanic Garden is growing horticultural varieties from Les Refardes, a non-profit cooperative that coordinates the production of organic, certified and local vegetables.

Marimurtra aims to spread the biodiversity cultivated with seeds of local varieties of organic production and made in the country. These seeds are produced in an artisanal and collaborative way between farmers.

For quality issues and to avoid hybridization with other varieties of the same species, not all varieties are always available every year, which is why seeds are kept and given away for generations. And, in order to recover the local varieties of the territory and not exclude varieties from other regions, they adapt to the area.

These horticultural varieties can be seen planted in the garden. A perfect place to discover, explore and learn as a family; the origin of such basic foods as vegetables and plants that are used in everyday cooking.

In the organic vegetable garden, elements are used to encourage interaction with the ecosystem; flowering plants and aromatic plants that attract auxiliary fauna and regulate pest control, or the insect hotel, which serves as a refuge and favors the pollination of species.

Since 2017, no synthetic chemical products have been used in the vegetable garden or in the rest of the Garden. The management of the garden is carried out with the application of plant extracts of nettle, horsetail, borage and comfrey, which are made in the garden itself. The applications start at the time of sowing the seed until the end of the crop.

Last Monday, June 19, the verdict of the “Carl Faust and Marimurtra” drawing contest was made public. 20 3rd year Primary Education students from the Carl Faust school in Blanes participated in this competition, and this year, as a novelty, 21 6th year students also participated.

From each class there was a winner who, in addition, received a Marimurtra Family Fan card that will allow him/her and his/her family to visit the Botanical Garden as many times as he/she wants in the next year.

The members of the jury were:

• Quim Valls (Patron of the Carl Faust Foundation)
• Carla Vives (Communication from Marimurtra)
• Antonio Aguilar (Marimurtra’s oldest worker)
• Montse Verdaguer (Volunteer from Marimurtra)
• Sílvia Garriga (Reserves and Scientific Disclosure of Marimurtra)

Here are the participating drawings, we hope you like them as much as we do!

On Tuesday, May 9th, they visited the Botanical Garden accompanied by the president of the Foundation, Cristòfol Jordà

Accompanied by the president of the board of trustees of the Carl Faust Foundation, Cristòfol Jordà, after a tour of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, they visited the Carl Faust House where they signed the Foundation’s book of honor. During the visit, Dr. Terrades and Dr. Brugués highlighted the interest of the work of an institution like the Carl Faust Foundation maintaining the Marimurtra Botanical Garden. They were particularly interested in its history and uniqueness, claiming, in turn, the support it should receive from the administrations and the role it could play in study projects in cooperation with the country’s universities and research centers. The topics they found most relevant were the possibilities in plant adaptations to climate change and the benefits that a task like this could represent, for example, for the administrations responsible for the selection of species in street landscaping and public spaces to prevent diseases, optimize water and maintenance resources, etc.

Dr. Jaume Terradas i Serra is currently honorary professor of Ecology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​after having been emeritus. He is responsible for the creation of the first research team on terrestrial ecosystems in Catalonia. He promoted and directed the CREAF, Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications, over 10 years. Currently, this center is an international reference in Mediterranean ecology with a team of more than 190 people. His research focuses on plant ecophysiology, forest ecology, forest fires, effects of climate change and molecular ecology. He has also promoted environmental education in Catalonia and Spain, a subject in which he was a pioneer, in total he has more than 260 scientific articles, more than 50 on environmental education, more than 160 opinions and dissemination and about twenty books.

In turn, Dr. Montserrat Brugués i Domènech is a briologist, disciple of the renowned Creu Casas i Sicart. She has dedicated her career at the Autonomous University to the study of this branch of botany, focused on mosses, and in which she currently works as an honorary professor in the Botany Area. He has made an intense contribution to the bryological flora of both Catalonia and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole.

Des del Jardí Botànic Marimurtra, us donem a conèixer la Biomarató de Flora Espanyola, que té lloc del 18 al 21 de maig i és promogut per la “Sociedad Española de Botánica” (SEBOT).

La Biomarató consisteix en la cerca d’espècies vegetals que posteriorment seran identificades amb l’ajuda d’experts. Per tant, els ciutadans que ho vulguin poden fotografiar plantes i pujar les fotografies a la plataforma iNaturalist, alhora que gaudeixen de la natura i aprenen sobre la biodiversitat vegetal que ens envolta.

Al Jardí Botànic Marimurtra trobareu més de 4000 espècies vegetals, moltes d’elles etiquetades amb el seu nom científic. Us convidem a fer d’explorador pel Marimurtra, podeu escollir les plantes que més us agradin, fer-ne una fotografia i pujar-la a l’aplicació iNaturalist.

Per participar cal registrar-se al Projecte de la “III Biomaratón de Flora Española” a l’aplicació iNaturalist. Cada usuari pot pujar les fotografies de plantes que vulgui i aquestes observacions quedaran registrades vinculades al projecte de la Biomarató.
Per a participar, no és imprescindible conèixer el nom de la planta, els usuaris amb més experiència proposaran la identitat de l’espècie de cada fotografia.

Per a què serveix una Biomarató?
Les observacions registrades i confirmades pels experts, es pugen a una xarxa de dades mundial d’ús lliure (Gbif). Aquestes dades són de molta utilitat per a la recerca científica. Es poden estudiar temes com la presència de certes espècies en perill d’extinció, o inclús la seva evolució i abundància lligada als efectes del canvi climàtic, per exemple.

Descarregueu-vos l’APP d’iNaturalist

The April 23th is celebrated in Catalonia as St. Jordi, a Catalan festival where roses and books become the protagonists.

It is celebrated in honor of Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia. Legend has it that Saint George defeated a dragon to save a princess and, from the spilled blood, a red rose emerged which he gave to the princess. Since then, giving a red rose to Sant Jordi has become a tradition to express love.

At Marimurtra you can enjoy a special day surrounded by nature while taking part in the tradition of exchanging books. The custom of giving books to Sant Jordi originated in 1923, when Book Day was established in tribute to two great writers: Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, who died on the same date in 1616. Since then, Catalans celebrate this holiday by buying and giving away books, making it a very special literary day.

You can bring your book and exchange it for another, or choose the one you like best. See you on Sant Jordi at the Marimurtra Botanical Garden! Happy Book Day and Happy Sant Jordi!