Blog: Marimurtra alive

Sustainable and local products in Marimurtra

In the Marimurtra Botanic Garden shop you will find a wide variety of products, from the part of the charity shop with products from Intermon Oxfam, to the sale of plants from Marimurtra’s own collection which are a magnificent detail like as a souvenir of the visit to the Garden, and zero kilometer products.

One of our star products is the flower honey from the apiary of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, made by the thousands of bees that live in the Garden. These live in Marimurtra hives and fly over the whole Garden collecting pollen from different species from all over the world. That is why this honey is enigmatic and unique since it is impossible to find out exactly which flowers its honey is from.

The store also supports local artisans, as is the case with Laviret, a Blanes company that produces different types of drinks. Among its range of products, Can Ballena ratafia stands out, made with natural products from the area, such as green walnuts and fresh aromatic plants collected in Blanes; and the myrtle liqueur made with murtrons harvested in the Garden from the same plant that gives its botanical name, the myrtle (Myrthus communis).

This is also the case with Ses Vernes, specialists in artisan cavas made with Blanes grapes. In the shop you can buy two of their varieties of cava.

The purchase of local products favors the reduction of the footprint, since the costs and negative effects of transport and distribution are minimal. In addition, it is a circular economy clearing which, in other words, means that it helps to promote the local economy and to support the producers of the area.

Visit Marimurtra and take a piece of our land with you!

Productes proximitat Marimurtra

Visit of the research group of the UAB Plant Physiology Unit (C. Poschenrieder)

Recently, members of the research group of the Plant Physiology Unit of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, ​​currently coordinated by Roser Tolrà, and until recently coordinated by Charlotte Poschenrieder, member of the Carl Faust Foundation’s board of trustees, visited the Marimurtra Botanical Garden. This group has specialized in the study of plant growth and development under abiotic stress (salinity, drought, deficit and excess of trace elements) and its interaction with biotic stress (fungal infections, herbivory). His research projects are generally focused on research projects focused on the adaptation mechanisms of plants to adverse factors of both carbonate soils and tropical acid soils and the rhizospheric processes involved.

The group, which visited the Marimurtra accompanied by a guide, showed a lot of interest in the new dune area, a small representation of a dune system where we find a population of Achillea maritima, a species considered endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Marimurtra is carrying out a project to recover and replant this taxon from 2021. So, once the plants are vigorous, they are planted at points on the Catalan coast in order to increase and consolidate the natural populations of this species.

Likewise, they were also very interested in the range of adaptations that plants show depending on the climate of their area of ​​origin. This is a phenomenon called evolutionary or genetic convergence and it can be seen very clearly in the pergola and the cacti viewpoint, where we find plants typical of the humid subtropical zone and the arid subtropical zone.

Charlotte Poschenrieder is currently a member of the Carl Faust Foundation’s board of trustees and an active member of the Scientific Research and Dissemination Commission. She was coordinator of the Plant Physiology group until Roser Tolrà took over. It is always a pleasure to welcome you to Marimurtra, and in this case, also to your colleagues in the department.

Farewell to volunteers Sophie and Henrike

Sophie and Henrike are two girls from Germany who decided to volunteer after finishing high school and before deciding on the first steps towards their future career. Through the European Solidarity Corps they found the Green Future project, carried out in collaboration between the Carl Faust Foundation and Naturkultur, e.V., a German entity based in Bremen.

In this project, the volunteers help sustainably conserve the plant collection of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, while participating in tasks related to research and the dissemination work of the Botanic through participation in a wide range of ‘activities. At the same time that they have integrated perfectly into the Marimurtra team, they have lived an immersive experience in Catalan culture by participating in meetings and parties, as well as traveling to Spanish cities, with the desire to discover other places and ways of doing things.

After 9 months, it was time to say goodbye to them and thank them. We thank them for devoting their time to us, and above all for showing so much interest and always being ready to learn countless things, with the hope that this experience will leave a very positive impression on them.

On behalf of the entire Marimurtra team, thank you!

Reports Henrike:
1 https://www.naturkultur.eu/henrike-spanien-1/
2 https://www.naturkultur.eu/henrike-spanien-2/
3 https://www.naturkultur.eu/henrike-spanien-3/

Reports Sophie:
1 https://www.naturkultur.eu/sophie-spanien-1/
2 https://www.naturkultur.eu/sophie-spanien-2/
3
https://www.naturkultur.eu/sophie-spanien-3/

The loss of Phoenix canariensis at Marimurtra

In the last two decades, pests have appeared that have no predator. The use of chemical insecticides to combat them affected other pollinating species, such as bees or birds. Marimurtra has been managing FitoZero in the garden for 6 years (no chemical treatment).

When treatments were carried out with chemical products, four treatments were carried out; and with the management with ecological products, the number of treatments must be doubled in order to have a similar effectiveness. Occasionally, there are different circumstances that make it difficult to carry out all the treatments, and when constancy cannot be maintained is when there are these casualties of different specimens. It is for this reason that these two specimens of Phoenix canariensis have been cut down, specifically due to the attack of the weevil beetle, also known as the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus).

However, there are different causes that can lead to the loss of different specimens, such as pests, climate change or the appearance of invasive species, among others.

Before or after the palm tree is removed, the species planted is being replaced. In order to increase diversity and reduce the number of specimens of the same species and to avoid having to combat these new pests that have no predator.

The Phoenix canariensis of Marimurtra

Palms belong to the Arecaceae family, which are monocotyledonous flowering plants. It is also known as the palm family (Palmae).

It is a family native to tropical and subtropical zones, in Europe there is only one native species, the palmetto (Chamaerops humilis), all the other palms in our territory have been introduced by man. In the tropics they occupy all types of biotopes, from rainforest to desert. They generally prefer water-rich but well-drained soils with high temperatures.

Palms are generally arboreal plants (more rarely shrubby or lianoid) but with a completely different organisation to other trees.

1. Palms are monocotyledonous, like grasses. However, palms are actually megaforbs (giant grasses). When the seeds germinate, a single cotyledon emerges, a primitive leaf that is very reminiscent of grass. In the case of the genus Phoenix, it is a single leaf.

2. Monocotyledons are plants that only multiply by seed.

Propagation by cuttings is widely used in tree propagation, but it is difficult to make it work in palms. On the one hand, few palms develop several trunks (Chamaerops humilis, Phoenix dactylifera, Cyrtostachys renta or Nannorhops ritchiana), and on the other hand, palms lack cambium or secondary meristem, without this meristem, there can be no growth.

3. The structure of palms is fibrous, not woody and the trunk is not a true trunk, it does not develop growth rings (pines make 1 ring per year), it is known by the name of stipe.

The stipes only grow in width (secondary growth) until they reach their final thickness, which depends on the species. After that, their diameter is constant from the stem to the terminal leaf cluster. The only part with meristematic tissues, with the capacity for growth, is the upper part of the trunk of palms, what we call “the eye of the palm”. With rare exceptions, the stipe is not branched. If the stipe is injured, it does not recover. Along the stipe are the marks left by the petioles of the falling leaves.

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

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.

Dynamic support in a branch of the Melaleuca armillaris of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden

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.

Un pequeño mundo, un mundo perfecto, Marco Martella. 2020

Marco Martella
Un pequeño mundo, un mundo perfecto
Editorial: Ellba, 2020

Cita destacada:
El ser humano mantiene, desde siempre, una estrecha relación con el jardín. Espacio cerrado y a la vez abierto al territorio que lo rodea, el jardín nos brinda la posibilidad de tomar distancia respecto a los modelos políticos y existenciales dominantes y de vislumbrar otras maneras de estar en el mundo. Como dice Hölderlin, puede que actualmente los jardines existan para recordarnos que en otro tiempo habitábamos la Tierra de una forma más poética o para rescatarnos de la soledad en la que nos ha sumido nuestra fe en el progreso y la tecnología. El camino de vuelta al jardín es también el reencuentro con nosotros mismos, con el jardinero y el poeta que resiste a pesar de la creciente desnaturalización de nuestro entorno.

Recomanació de: Xavier de la Fuente, jardiner del Jardí Botànic Marimurtra.

Local horticultural varieties in Marimurtra

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.

Drawing competition Carl Faust and Marimurtra

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!