Indian laurels of Plaza del Príncipe

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Leisure · Subcategory: Singular trees · Year: 1864

Until the mid-19th century, there were hardly any trees in the squares and public promenades of Santa Cruz. Only in the Alameda del muelle, the oldest promenade in the city inaugurated in 1787, did some tamarinds and Lebanon plane trees grow. Also in La Concordia, an avenue now disappeared and built in 1833 on the left bank of the Santos ravine, a hundred acacias and mulberries were planted. The scarce vegetation of the city and the aridity of its surroundings were a constant in the chronicles of the time.

However, this bleak aspect changed radically in a few years, largely due to the introduction of one tree: the Indian laurel ( Ficus microcarpa ). This species, native to tropical Asian regions and a close relative of the fig tree, was brought from Cuba in 1864 by the merchant navy captain Domingo Serís Granier, to be planted that same year in Plaza del Príncipe. These were the first Indian laurels in the Canary Islands.

The current group consists of 37 specimens of different ages and sizes, some reaching 20 metres in height and more than 5 in trunk diameter.

Despite being tropical trees that require large amounts of water for their development, the Indian laurels quickly adapted to the climate of Santa Cruz thanks to their long roots that managed to find moisture in the most hidden cracks and fissures of the subsoil.

In a short time they spread through parks and squares creating large green patches that changed the urban landscape. The enormous canopies of the laurels provided a coolness and well-being never before enjoyed by the city, allowing other trees and shrubs to thrive easily under their shade.

Today, in many gardens, squares, promenades and even on some pavement edges, these impressive Indian laurels grow, all descended from those planted in 1864 in Plaza del Príncipe.

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