A Guide To Botanical Garden Barcelona | Best Things to See, Getting There & More

Australia

This region is considered the second-largest in surface area, covering about 700,000 square kilometers. Located in the south and southwest of the continent, the Australian Mediterranean region is formed by two separate sectors.

Highlight: There are primitive species of trees that have grown in this region. They are characterized by displaying a homogeneous behavior while growing. 

California

This particular zone of the Botanical Garden occupies a narrow coastal strip from Cape Blanco in the US to Punta Baja in Mexico, with its center corresponding to San Francisco. This region covers an area of about 100-200 kilometers towards the interior of the continent.

Highlight: The Californian stretch consists of about 4300 known species, out of which almost 35% are endemic.

Mediterranean basin

This region is developed due to the lands that surround the Mediterranean Sea. With an area of about 2,300,000 square kilometers, it is spread across European, Asian, and African territories. 

Highlight: This region consists of 25,000 known species, with 50% being endemic. The flora here is used to withstand various environmental factors that influenced its evolution – summer droughts, prickles, toxic substances, and so on. 

South Africa

The South African Mediterranean region is the smallest amongst the lot, with only a 3% representation of the biome. The summer influence of tropical monsoons out here represents there is no complete dry season. 

Highlight: The region contains around 8,550 known species, with 68% being endemic. This zone has very high diversity due to the climate, geographic isolation, and frequent incidence of fires, which has resulted in making it the richest one in the world. 

Chile

Formed from a narrow coastal strip, this Mediterranean region corresponds to Central Chile with 100 kilometers in length. Due to the high oceanic influence, this region is comparatively cooler and has an abundant incidence of coastal mists. 

Highlight: It has 2,400 known species, with 23% being endemic. The region has a great ecological characteristic – it is known for the historic absence of fires, and the presence of herbivores. 

Bonsai Exhibition

Pere Duran I Frell’s family left-back the origins of the bonsai collection in the Barcelona Botanical Garden where he developed and brought together a great collection of around 108 Mediterranean bonsai species. Amongst these 80 of them are in the Garden Collection.

Salvador Cabinet

The Salvador family was a very known family of apothecaries from Barcelona who worked around the concept of naturalism. They collected various samples in the regions of the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic islands, thus creating one of the first scientific botanical gardens in Barcelona. 

Banksia

The Banksia species grow in the form of bushes or trees with beautiful spikes of yellow, red, or orange flowers. They have cone-shaped exotic-looking fruits that grow together and refuse to open up until they are burned or are completely dry. 

Bread Palm

Considered as a species of living fossils, these were formed 200 million years ago and played a major role in being a staple diet of herbivorous dinosaurs. The species is also known as the kaffir pine.

Cape Aloe

These species have the ability to preserve rainwater inside their leaves and allow them to survive well during drought conditions. These sharp, spiny leaves pulp is traditionally used to cure skin ailments, wounds, burns and also can be used for your skin care routine as a moisturizer. 

Eucalyptus

Familiar with the beautiful aroma given off by its leaves? Eucalyptus has about 800 different species, the majority being native to Australia. The genus has various habitats, in the form of shrub and tree species. 

Hyacinth of Peru

This is a species native not to Peru, but to the Mediterranean. The error occurred because the bulbs were brought from Spain to England on a ship called The Peru. 

Mexican Blue Palm

Ever seen something so blue? Well now you will, as this species of Brahea has the bluest leaves. The flowers of these palm species come through in the form of beautiful clusters of small, whitish, bisexual blooms. 

Port Jackson Fig

Otherwise known as the little-leaf fig, these species have a feature that has a characteristic of the Ficus genus – where the aerial roots are formed from the branches and trunk, growing downward towards the earth. Once in contact with the soil, they provide the tree with necessary nutrients and water, making it grow into a gigantic size.

Stone Pine

With a height of over 25 meters, the stone pine has features that differentiate itself from other Mediterranean pines. The cones of it produce edible pine seeds, which are commonly used as an ingredient in several dishes served in Barcelona.