spain Palms of Málaga Park, Spain ( Parque de Málaga )

[Nomad NYC]

 

During my recent trip to Spain, in addition to visiting the city of Valencia,  I also had the chance of going to Málaga,  an ancient seaside city located in the Andalusian region, in very south of the country, on the famous shores of the Costa del Sol .

One of the many highlights of my trip there was going to see the  'Central Park" of Málaga, called ' El Parque de Málaga ' - also called Alameda Park ( Parque de la Alameda or just  "El Parque" (the Park)).

I was told by my friend ( who lives nearby in the city of Marbella ) that there were many palm species planted there that I would be interested in seeing. So during my time in Málaga, I set aside a whole afternoon exploring the park,  which stretches for over six hundred and seventy meters ( in ' Freedom Units '   , almost two thousand two hundred feet ), and has a total area of thirty thousand square meters ( about thirty two thousand , two hundred and ninety - two square feet  ).  There are three paths,  that run through the park: one on the north side and two others on the south side, which run along a wide central lane.

The Parque de Málaga was not always located where it is today. In fact, its current site , until the early twentieth century,  used to be underwater, under the Mediterranean sea. It was not until 1896 that the Spanish Prime Minister at the time, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, passed a law to expand the Málaga port. This project would take over 30 years to convert it into what it is today , a verdant park containing a collection of many exotic tropical and subtropical trees and plants that can boast of being one of the most important public botanical gardens of this kind in all of Europe. The local climate has been acknowledged as optimum the whole year round for this type of floral collection (  Malaga is agricultural hardiness Zone 10, I believe ).

There are around 350 or more tropical and subtropical plant species present in the park,  that far exceeds 5,000 individual specimens. So If you ever have the chance to visit Málaga, and go though Málaga Park, you will find amazing examples of those types of plant life from all five continents.

 

Málaga’s Seaside Promenade ( with  a stand of Phoenix Theophrasti at the left, and some Phoenix Dactylifera on the right ).

 

Málaga City Council building, with some Phoenix canariensis palms.

 

Sign describing the history of the park ( in Español and English ).

 

 

A Chamaerops Humilis ( European fan palm ) and some type of Phoenix palm species ( Robelenii ? )

    

 

( More Parque de Málaga palm pictures to come )

 

 

[Nomad NYC]

There are so many different kinds of tropical and subtropical flora in the Parque de Málaga , it was amazing!

The following pictures are just a few of the many palms and similar type of  plants  that are on display in this  outdoor public garden.

 

Sabal Palmetto

 

Roystonea Oleracea ( Caribbean Royal palm )

Cryosophila Warscewiczii  ( Palma De Escoba - " Broom's Palm " ? )

 

Beaucarnea Recurvata ( ponytail palm ) not a true palm  

 

Rhapis Humilis ( Slender Lady Palm )

 

Dypsis Leptocheilos ( Teddy Bear Palm )

 

Jubaeophis Caffra ( Pondoland palm )

   

 

Yucca elephantipes var. gigantea ( "palm like", but also not a palm  )

Hyphaene Coriacea (  the Lala palm )

 

 

[Nomad NYC]

 

Nannorrhops Ritchieana (  the Mazari palm )

Phoenix Theophrasti (  Cretan Date palm )

  

 

Roystonea Regia ( Cuban royal palm )

 

Trachycarpus Fortunei ( the Chinese windmill palm )

 

Acoelorraphe Wrightii ( Everglades palm )

Arenga Engleri ( Formosa palm, Taiwan sugar palm )

 

Phoenix Robelenii ( Pygmy date palm )

 

Butia Yatay

Wodyetia Bifurcata ( Foxtail palm )

 

 

[Cindy Adair]

Very nicely done and timely for me. 

A childhood friend who took Spanish in Junior High School recently confided that after seeing photos in her textbook decades ago that she had always wanted several weeks in Spain. 

And I said why not, let’s do it. 

Not this year but in between IPS travel. I will send her a link to your topic and if possible include time there in a future itinerary. 
 

Thank you!
 

 

[Nomad NYC]

4 hours ago, Cindy Adair said:

Very nicely done and timely for me. 

Why , thank you, I'm glad that this just happened to be relevant to your own Spanish trip aspirations!

 

4 hours ago, Cindy Adair said:

A childhood friend who took Spanish in Junior High School recently confided that after seeing photos in her textbook decades ago that she had always wanted several weeks in Spain. 

And I said why not, let’s do it. 

  "Just do it"    I had similar motivations last year for me to finally go travel to France earlier this year, and visit all the sights I always wanted to see for years, but just didn't have the opportunity to ( speaking of France, If you haven't already,  please check out my other recent travel log topic in this travel forum, "  Palms of Paris " ) .

Spain is also very nice place to travel too, you can definitely spend many weeks there !

 

4 hours ago, Cindy Adair said:

Not this year but in between IPS travel. I will send her a link to your topic and if possible include time there in a future itinerary. 
 

Yes, please do!  While Spain obviously  has lots of palm trees, I do feel that the Parque de Málaga probably has the best public collection of them in the country. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Costa del Sol area!

 

4 hours ago, Cindy Adair said:

Thank you!

You're very Welcome!  I'm very glad that you like the pictures!

More incoming!

[Nomad NYC]

Archontophoenix Alexandrae ( Alexandra palm )

 

Bismarckia Nobilis ( Bismarck Palm )

    

Not sure, but this looked like some kind of Chamaedorea  ( " C . costaricana " ?  Unfortunately the display description plaque was missing... ) 

 

Chamaerops Humilis ( European fan palm )

[Nomad NYC]

I have a last batch of pictures to post - I wish I had the time to take even more...

 

Trithrinax Brasiliensis

Livistona Decora

 

Dypsis Madagascariensis

 

Phoenix Dactylifera - the Date Palm

 

And we end with the old familiar Phoenix Canariensis, the Canary Island date palm

That's all , folks!

So if you're a palm enthusiast who happens to have the opportunity  visiting  the Costa del Sol - south coast of Spain, definitely try to go check out el Parque de Málaga - you'll be glad you did!

 

[Cindy Adair]

I will! Thank you!

[Willan]

That park sounds incredible! I’ve been to Málaga a few times, and El Parque de Málaga is always a highlight. The variety of palm trees there is just amazing. I remember walking through and being surprised by how lush and diverse the plant life was. It’s wild to think it was underwater not that long ago.