Jardín de Cactus
Typecactus garden
LocationCanary Islands, Spain
Coordinates29°04′49″N 13°28′35″W / 29.08028°N 13.47639°W / 29.08028; -13.47639
Opened1991
Websitewww.cactlanzarote.com/cact/jardin-de-cactus/

The Jardín de Cactus is a cactus garden on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It is situated in the village of Guatiza, in a former quarry where volcanic sand lapilli (volcanic pyroclast, locally called "picón" or "rofe") was extracted to spread on cultivated areas to retain moisture. Prickly pears are grown in the area for the production of cochineal, an insect from which the natural dye carmine is derived.[1]

History

The cactus garden was created in 1991, the last project of César Manrique. The botanist Estanislao González Ferrer was responsible for the selection and planting of the specimens. The garden now has 4,500 examples of 450 species of cactus and succulents from North and South America, Madagascar, and other desert and arid areas.

The garden is in the shape of a large amphitheatre, with the plants arranged in terraces. A restored windmill, once used in the production of gofio, stands at the highest point.

See also

References

  1. "Guatiza ayer y hoy. Jardín de Cactus" (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 December 2017.

Media related to Jardin de Cactus at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.