Os Eucaliptos e as Aves da Quinta de São Francisco

a quinta e a natureza
a quinta e a natureza
98 the quinta and nature the quinta and nature 99
The butcher’s broom (Ruscus aculeatus) that
grows close to the ground is further proof that
testifies to the existence of the old woods. This
bush grows spontaneously in the country and its
red berries, which resemble holly, are frequently
used in Christmas decorations.
Amidst the tree grove is a nine-metre high cork
oak, a true vegetal relic mixed with the other
species in the Quinta. In the valley that traverses
the property, the damp soil is not always
favourable for older trees, which find it difficult
to root and thus become vulnerable to the wintry
winds, with the weakest ending up on the ground.
A few years ago, strong rainfall led the water
course to overflow, creating a ditch in the middle
Plantadas no início do século XX,
as acácias ainda se mantêm na Quinta.
Planted at the beginning of the 20 th century,
the acacias still flourish in the Quinta.
transformando-se num autêntico paraíso para
o embude (Oenanthe crocata) comum em todo
o País, mas que tem preferência pelos solos
húmidos e margens dos cursos de água.
Do património vegetal da Quinta de São
Francisco fazem ainda parte alguns exemplares
de pinheiro manso (Pinus pinea), o único pinheiro
autóctone de Portugal, e vários tipos de cedros
cuja plantação, a avaliar pelo porte, será
contemporânea da dos eucaliptos centenários
do arboreto de Jaime de Magalhães Lima. Por
entre a vegetação observam-se ainda algumas
das acácias plantadas pelo fundador da Quinta,
hoje árvores com mais de um século
de existência que se erguem a vários metros
do solo. Com grande valor ornamental, esta
of the Quinta. With the water diverted back to its
original bed and after recovering the area, the
valley between the vegetation on the Northern
slope and the cane plantation is now occupied by
creeping plants, a genuine paradise for the
hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata)
found all over the country, but preferably in damp
soils and on the banks of water courses.
Also included in the flora of Quinta de São
Francisco are some specimens of stone pines
(Pinus pinea), the only pine tree that is a native
of Portugal, and various types of cedars, which
judging by the size, must have been planted at
the same time as the centenary-old eucalyptus
found in Jaime de Magalhães Lima’s arboretum.