Twelve skin-deep treasures in La Concepción

The year began with the Delostoma tree, from the Bignoniaceae family, so closely related to January. Originally from Peru and Venezuela, it can reach up to 15 meters in height and blooms in autumn in winter. It is used in addition to decorating gardens, to fence spaces as well as to recover soil in degraded areas.

The February plant arose in Asia but the Romans spread it throughout the Mediterranean. It is the almond tree, whose flowering is always a spectacle. With a dark and wrinkled trunk and flowers that go from an intense white to a pink tone, its fruit is fleshy and has a single and appreciated edible seed.

March brought us the loropetal, a plant native to China and Japan that is used for ornamental purposes but also in traditional medicine. It blooms in two batches, from February to April and then in autumn, and the most striking thing is its flowers, in the form of tassels or disheveled fringes. It is a hardy bush that does not need much maintenance.

With spring in all its splendor, the plant to represent the month of April was the beautiful erythrine, native to South Africa and very striking for its scarlet orange flowers. As a curiosity, in South Africa it is considered magical and was planted before the graves of Zulu chiefs. The flowers, by producing a lot of nectar, attract numerous pollinating insects.

The acanthus with its famous leaves, watchword of the Corinthian capitals, is the plant of the month for May. Its long, lobed, dark green leaves can reach a meter in length. It is in April when it blooms in the form of a meter and a half tall spike covered with white flowers. Among the traditional medicinal properties of acanthus is that it is anti-inflammatory.

The Brachychiton acerifolius or fire tree was the plant with which summer was inaugurated. It can reach 15 meters in height, it has a striking intense red bloom before the leaves appear and its fruits are also very showy, in the form of capsules with yellow seeds. Precisely, its name in Greek means short tunic (chiton) (brachys) and alludes to the hairiness with which the fruits and seeds are covered.

The month of July featured the otatea or Mexican weeping bamboo, a plant whose stems can be between 4 and 7 meters high (the latter, in its area of ​​origin, central and southern Mexico). It has very little appreciable flowers, with the peculiarity that it only blooms every many years. In addition, it resists drought well.

The month of August was represented by an exotic succulent plant from southern Madagascar, the pachypodium (scientific name, Pachypodium lamerei, from the Greek 'pachus', thick and 'podium', foot). With the appearance of a palm tree, due to its large leaves at the end of the plant, it is not really such. Between spring and summer it blooms generously, in the form of very pure white inflorescences.

The large-flowered aristolochia, the September plant, may evoke by its Greek name (from 'aristos', excellent and 'lochia', childbirth) that some of these plants were used in ancient times to cause childbirth, although they also combat the bite of snakes.

The most outstanding feature of this climbing plant, native to Brazil and Colombia, is its spectacular flower, about 30 centimeters long and without petals, which is an effective flycatcher, so that it remains on the flower loaded with pollen and is then released.

The blue butterfly bush, native to Uganda and Kenya and the plant of the month for October, received the Award of Garden Merit from the veteran Royal Horticultural Society, founded in London more than two centuries ago.

Its popular name is due to the fact that the flowers resemble butterflies perched on the leaves. The good news is that it gives us flowering almost all year round, except during the coldest months.

Brugmansia, the November plant, was named after the eighteenth-century Dutch botanist Sebald Justin Brugmans. It is a very popular shrub that blooms intermittently throughout the year. The most striking thing about this plant are its large, pendulous, trumpet-shaped flowers. It grows well in sun and semi-shade.

The year ended with the plant of the month of December, a true living fossil because it appeared on Earth 248 million years ago. Dioon, 'two eggs' in Greek, refers to the fact that its seeds come in pairs. Reminiscent of a palm tree for its plume of pinnate green leaves. These were the twelve jewels of 2021 in La Concepción. For this year, more botanical surprises.

The plants of 2021

JANUARY | Flower show in winter

The delostoma tree (Delostoma integrifolium), native to Peru and Venezuela, draws attention for its flowers, with a tubular calyx and bell-shaped corolla and colors that can range from white to red and pink with violet lines. In the Garden of La Concepción we can admire a large specimen of this tropical tree in front of the old waterwheel pool.

FEBRUARY | The past of La Concepcion

In the origins, La Concepción and the surrounding farms that joined it were agricultural estates in which almond trees were not lacking. From that agricultural past, almond trees can be seen on the terraces between the viewpoint and the lake, as well as on the forest route. The showy flowers appear when the leaves have not yet sprouted and its edible seed is one of the signs of Malaga.

MARCH | The one with the disheveled bangs

From the Greek 'loron' (ribbon) and 'petalon' (petal), the name loropetalus, scientific name Loropetalum chinense, refers to the shape of its flowers, with very fine petals grouped in globose inflorescences reminiscent of disheveled fringes. This original plant from China and Japan can be seen on the Tour of the World in 80 Trees and by the Ferris wheel.

APRIL | Corals in the heights

Erythrina (Erythrina caffra) is also known as the coral tree, due to the intense scarlet orange of its large flowers, which stand out even more because they appear before the leaves. Originally from South Africa, from the Kaffir region, in the garden we can find a specimen in the African part of 'Around the World in 80 Trees'.

MAY | Greek ideal of a plant

The ancient world is based on acanthus leaves, as they were the watchword of Corinthian-style columns. This herbaceous perennial easily repopulates shady places and is very present under trees in parks and gardens. On the staircase that connects the staff car park with the botanical garden we can find the famous acanthus.

JUNE | Australia's red summer

The Australian aborigines, where this plant comes from, eat its roasted seeds. The brachichiton (Brachychiton acerifolius) is also known as 'the fire tree' because in May, before the leaves appear, it is covered with small bell-shaped flowers of a very intense red. In La Concepción it can be seen in the hibiscus walk.

JULY | mexican tears

In pre-Hispanic Mexico, houses, baskets and canes were built with the otatea, a bamboo from the country. Its leaves end in long, narrow tips and the weight causes the stems to bend, reminiscent of a large platter. For this reason it is known as the Mexican weeping bamboo. In the garden there are three large masses of otatea next to the lake in the southern area.

AUGUST | Madagascar endemism

From the same family as the plumarias, the pachypodium is a succulent plant, endemic to southern Madagascar. On the African island it can reach six meters in height. Its stem sports long thorns in groups of three. The large leaves crown the plant. It gives as a flower some glossy white inflorescences. It can be seen in the collection of succulent plants.

SEPTEMBER | An exotic flytrap

The large-flowered aristoloquia, an evergreen plant native to Brazil and Colombia, attracts attention with its spectacular dark maroon flowers with white spots. Petalless, it is a lavish calyx that attracts flies, which become trapped in the flower's fluffy, waxy tube. It is a climbing plant that can be seen near the cafeteria.

OCTOBER | Autumn gift with butterflies

The blue butterfly bush owes its name to its flowers, whose shape clearly evokes the famous Lepidoptera. It comes from the tropical and subtropical areas of Kenya and Uganda. The corolla of these blue flowers is made up of four petals, one of them, the previous one, larger and darker in color. They can be seen in the Paseo de Hibiscus.

NOVEMBER | The Garden Trumpet

Brugmansia, with its pompous trumpet-shaped flower, is an ornamental plant that blooms all year round. In the world there are seven recognized species but also many hybrids. Specifically, the Brugmansia insignis can reach four meters, with pink flowers and white parts and comes from South America. We found it in Around the World in 80 Trees.

DECEMBER | A true living fossil

248 million years ago, in the Triassic, the genus of plants Dioon made its appearance in the world. Adding to their prehistoric pedigree is their longevity, with some Dioon being over a thousand years old. It is not a palm tree, although remember. With pinnate leaves, in the center they have a pineapple-shaped floral axis. In La Concepción there are five species of Dioon.