Bronze bust of Carl Linnaeus at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid.
Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid
The Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid (Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid) was first established in 1755 by King Fernando VI, in an area of Madrid now known as Puerta de Hierra (Iron Gate). King Carlos III ordered the garden moved to its current 8-hectare (20 acres) site on the Paseo del Prado at the Plaza de Murillo, where it opened in 1781.
The garden comprises seven sections spread across three tiered terraces including several greenhouses. There are more than 5,000 plant species from around the world in the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid. The plants are grouped according to their scientific classification and aesthetic criteria. Many plant groupings are organised into box-hedged squares or planting beds surrounding water fountains.
Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid.
La Terraza de los Cuadros
The lower terrace, La Terraza de los Cuadros (The Terrace of Squares or planting beds), contains ornamental plants, a rose garden, aromatic and medicinal plants, and cultivated and wild fruit trees.
Flowers of the Punica granatum (pomegranate).
Punica granatum (pomegranate).
Leafy greens including Col Gallega (Galician cabbage).
A scare crow stands guard over the edible plants collection.
La Terraza de las Escuelas Botánicas
In the middle terrace, La Terraza de las Escuelas Botánicas (The Terrace of Botanical Schools or classifications), plants are phylogenetically arranged from most primitive to the most highly evolved.
The fern and cycad collection.
Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata (grass tree).
Agave americana (American agave or century plant).
The yellow flowers of Koelreuteria paniculata (golden rain tree, pride of India).
Cynara scolymus (globe artichoke).
Romneya coulteri (Coulter’s matilija poppy or California tree poppy).
Dahlia ‘MyLove’.
Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea).
Separating La Terraza de los Cuadros and La Terraza de las Escuelas Botánicas is a promenade of statues. There are statutes of four famous Spanish botanists: Joseph Quer y Martínez, Antonio José Cavanilles y Palop, Mariano Lagasca, and Simón Rojas Clemente y Rubio.
El Paseo de las Estatuas (Promenade of Statues).
Statue of Simón Rojas Clemente y Rubio.
Lysimachia clethroides (gooseneck loosestrife).
Crocosmia Lucifer (Montbretia ‘Lucifer’).
Terraza del Plano de la Flor
The third and uppermost terrace, Terraza del Plano de la Flor (Terrace of the Flower Plane), contains several greenhouses, the Pabellón Villanueva (Villanueva Pavilion), the bonsai collection, and an extensive selection of trees and shrubs. One of its striking features is a wrought-iron arbour that borders the terrace on three sides.
The centerpiece of the Terraza del Plano de la Flor is the Linnaeus Pond. It features a bronze bust of Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist, zoologist, and physician known as “the father of modern taxonomy” for his system of binomial nomenclature, which defines the genera and species of organisms for classification purposes.
The Linnaeus Pond and the bronze bust of Carl Linnaeus.
Nerium Oleander.
Taxodium distichum (bald cypress).
One of the must-see specimen trees is the Zelkova carpinifolia (Caucasian elm or zelkova). It is the tallest tree in the garden and can reach up to 40 metres (ca. 131 feet) and live up to 400 years. Its vase shape crown sits atop a trunk that near its base divides into numerous nearly vertical branches.
Zelkova carpinifolia (Caucasian elm or zelkova).
Myrtus communis (common myrtle).
PLAN A VISIT
The Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid
Plaza de Murillo, 2
28014 Madrid, Spain
Telephone: +34 914 20 30 17
The Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid Opening Hours:
The garden is open every day, except January 1st and December 25th. It opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. depending on the time of year. Consult the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid website for additional information.
Tickets:
Access to the garden is very reasonable. General admission tickets cost a maximum of 4.00 € depending on one’s age or status (e.g., children under 18 are free and over 65’s are charged a nominal 0.50 €). Check the garden’s website for the most up-to-date ticket prices.
Getting There:
The main entrance to the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid is located on the Plaza de Murillo off the Paseo del Prado near the Parque del Buen Retiro. Google Maps
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