Читать книгу Trekking in Mallorca. GR221 - The Drystone Route through the Serra de Tramuntana онлайн

17 страница из 45

Plants and wildlife

Trees, shrubs and flowers

Trees on Mallorca come in four main types – pines, oaks, olives and palms – but there are also several minor types. Overall, the forests and woodlands are green and leafy throughout the year owing to the predominance of evergreen species. Abundant Aleppo pines can grow almost anywhere from sea level to 1000m (3280ft). They usually grow tall and straight, but can be twisted in exposed locations. Holm oaks are the commonest of the evergreen oaks. They grow in dense woodlands and were exploited for the production of charcoal. Olives may have grown wild on Mallorca before being cultivated. Some of the thickest and most gnarled specimens are over 1000 years old. Dwarf fan palms grow mostly at lower elevations, but are abundant around the start of the GR221.

Rock rose – one of many varieties of cistus found among the scrub

Other common trees include the strawberry tree, with its strange edible fruit, and the carob which produces distinctive pods that are high in sugar and contain tooth-breaking seeds. Citrus fruits, oranges and lemons, are picked around January and are most abundant around Sóller. Almond trees blossom pink and white around February, and were first planted on a large scale in 1765.