The main Plant Species
ARBUSTI
Nerium oleander L.
Oleander
Mediterranean basin
A bushy shrub or a small, smooth evergreen tree, 1-5 m high, with simple lanceolate, pointed, petiolate or subsessil leathery leaves, opposite or ternate, 8-20 cm long and 1.5-3.5 cm wide. Pentamerous, actinomorphic, gamopetal flowers; flowers are white, pink, red or cream-coloured; infundibuliform corolla with a diameter of 2.5-4 cm, with curved lobes; it has fringed chaps. 5 stamens with anthers that have a downy appendage. The inflorescence has an apical tip with several flowers. The fruit is a long narrow capsule which splits open to releases downy seeds. Flowers in summer-autumn.
Etymology: the general term comes from “nerón”, water, because despite having acclimatised to arid environments, it thrives close to flowing water. The specific term oleander has no relation to the olive but seems to come from the Greek root “ol” meaning “to kill” (“ol-“ from ollumi) and “man” (aner – andros). It therefore may have meant “man-killer”. Renowned for its toxicity from antiquity; Pliny noted that it could kill snakes and that if placed close to a wild animal caused torpor and that honey made with its nectar was poisonous. It is said that about a dozen Napoleonic soldiers in Spain were poisoned by eating meat roasted on stripped oleander branches. Oleander was also associated with funerary rites: in Sicily and Tuscany there is a widespread and very ancient tradition of covering the dead with oleander flowers.
Ilex aquifolium L.
Holly
Europe
An evergreen shrub or tree, 2-3 m high, holly trees reaching a height of 20-25 m. Simple alternate, elliptical, wavy leathery leaves, with a dark green, shiny upper surface and a pale green lower surface, with a spine-tipped margin; the leaves are 3-7 cm long and 2-4 cm wide; a short stalk. The leaves of the upper parts of mature plants tend to have a more or less complete margin. Monoclinous white flowers, grouped in axillary clusters; the male flowers in wild holly have a thin red edge on the petals. Round red berries. Flowers in spring-summer.
Etymology: Ilex is the Latin name for oak and was used by Linneus for holly because its spiny leaves are similar to several evergreen oaks (holm oak or holly oak – quercus ilex); the name aquifolium comes from the Latin acrifolium, sharp, thorny leaf. In the past, holly and butcher’s-broom were used to protect foodstuffs from mice. Together with mistletoe, holly is considered a symbol of ongoing life which is why it is used as an auspicious decoration during the Christmas period. According to Norse legend, Baldur, the son of Odin, was struck by an arrow made with a branch of mistletoe and fell, dying, on a holly bush. To reward the plant for embracing his son during his last dying moments, Odin transformed it into an evergreen plant dotted with red berries to recall the blood spilt by his beloved Baldur. His mother’s tears were turned into pearls on the plant of mistletoe. In reality, the two plants formed part of the rites of the ancient Celtic priests who regarded them as the symbol of longevity and the rising of the sun at the winter solstice. Christianity initially prohibited this tradition but later reappropriated it, changing the tears shed by Odin’s wife to those shed by the Virgin Mary and Baldur’s blood into Christ’s blood.
Buxus sempervirens L.
European box
Europe-Africa-Asia
A bush 2-4 m high, with young pubescent branches and shiny oblong-ovate leaves, light green on the underside, with a very short stalk (1-2 mm), 1-2 cm long and 0.6-1.2 cm wide. Flowers grouped into axillary clusters.
Etymology: Box or Buxus comes from the Greek name for the plant “pyxos” (similar to “pyx” = “closed fist” and to “pyknos” “compact”, used by Theophrastus for a plant with extremely hard wood, a feature also mentioned by Pliny in his description of European box; sempervirens means evergreen. In antiquity it was considered a magic bush with supernatural properties. It symbolised eternal life, steadfastness and perseverance. The plant was sacred to Hades and it was believed that it encouraged fertility. Since the Middle Ages it has been used to make pyxes for the consecrated host.
Box was used widely as an ornamental plant, especially in Italian-style gardens since it is resistant to pruning and, given its slow growth, keeps its shape for a long time.
Pliny (XVI, 70) spoke at length about the plant which he referred to as Buxus and described as an evergreen with a wood that had no veining. It is worth quoting from his observations on the plant: “The actual tree is also used for topiary. There are three species: Gallic box which is grown a greater height in the form of a cone”.
Euonymus japonicus L. fil.
Japanese spindle
Japan
Evergreen bush or tree, 3-5 m high, a dense shrub with many glabrous, quadrangular branches growing from the base (branches striated when young). Leaves alternate or opposite, ovate-elliptical, leathery with dentate- crenate margins, 5-8 cm long and 1.8-4 wide. White greenish flowers, gathered in clusters of 5-12 flowers. The fruit is a nearly spherical capsule. Flowers in spring.
Etymology: the term Euonymus had already been used by the Greek botanist and philosopher Theophrastus (4th century BC) and comes from the classical Greek prefix “eu” which means “good” and the word “onoma”, or “name”, so that it means “with a good name” or “auspicious”, despite its fruits being poisonous; it therefore has a propitious meaning due to the ancient tradition of exorcising the enemy or propitiating the angry gods by calling them kind names. The term japonicus indicates the geographic origin of the plant.
Abelia x grandiflora (Rovelli ex André) Reheder
Glossy abelia
China
Shrub created from the cross between A. chinensis x A. uniflora, 1-2 m high, with thin arching stems, minutely tomentose. The leaves are ovate-acute, 3-6 cm long and 1.5-2 wide, with a deep green colour; long stalk of about 3 mm. Flowers are pinkish white, throat hairy, gathered in 1-4 flowers at the axillary of the leaves or the terminals. Calyx of 2-5 sepals, purple and persistent. Flowers from July to November.
Etymology: Abelia, named in honour of the English naturalist Charles Abel (1780-1826) who was the first person to describe several species of this genus and import them to Europe from China; the term grandiflora refers to the fact that the flowers are larger than other species of abelia. This hybrid was obtained for the first time in 1886 at the Rovelli nurseries in Pallanza by Lake Maggiore.
Viburnum tinus L.
Laurentine
Mediterranean basin
Evergreen shrub, 1-3 m high, branches with opposite branches; the bark of the young branches is purpurescent. Ovate or elliptical leaves, rounded at the base, shiny, with complete margin, tormentose on the lower side, about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. White flowers, gathered in corymbose terminal clusters. Blue-blackish fruit. Flowers in winter-spring.
The etymology of the name Viburnum is extremely obscure. Virgil uses the term in his Eclogues, also called the Bucolics; the epithet tinus is mentioned by Ovid to refer to a sort of wild bay which is also referred to by Pliny and Virgil himself who, in the Georgics, advises planting it close to beehives.
Aucuba japonica Thunb.
Spotted laurel
Japan
Evergreen shrub, up to 3m high. Leaves simple, opposite, petiolated, leathery, shiny, ovate-lanceolate, with dentate margins, green or dappled with yellow in some cultivars, 7-20 cm long and 3-7 cm wide. Flowers diclinous, tetramerous, dialypetalous, actinomorphic (star-shaped), with purplish petals, gathered in erect, hirsute panicles; the pistilliferous flowers are 5-10 cm long, while the staminiferous flowers are 1-2 cm long. The fruit is a scarlet ovoid berry. Flowers in spring.
Etymology: Aucuba comes from “aokiba”, the Japanese name for the plant; japonica indicates that it comes from Japan. The plant was introduced to Europe from Japan for the first time in 1783 by the English botanist John Graefer (1746-1802).
Hydrangea macrophylla Ser. (H. hortensis Sieb.)
Hydrangea
Japan
Shrub with globular flowerhead, 1-2 m high, with weak stems and branches, starting from the base. The leaves have very clear veining and are opposite, ovate, acuminate with sharply toothed margin, pale and sometimes sparsely hairy on the underside, 10-18 cm long and 8-11 cm wide; long stalk 3-5 cm. The flowers, which are generally sterile, have a diameter of 3-5 cm and are gathered in globular corymbs. The colour of the flowers varies according to the pH of the soil (in acidic substrates, they are mainly light blue, in alkaline soils, mainly pink), and the cultivar. Flowers in summer.
Etymology: Hydrangea comes from the union of two ancient Greek terms – hýdros (water) and angéion (vase), due to the plant’s preference for damp soil, and due to the form of the fruit which resemble small water flasks; macrophylla literally means “with large leaves”. The name “hortensis” was coined by Philibert de Commerson, a French naturalist who introduced the plant to Europe from the forests of China, in honour of Hortense Lapaute, wife of the astronomer Jérôme Lalande who was his lover.
Philadelphus coronarius L. (P. pallidus Hayek ex C. K. Schneider)
English dogwood or sweet mock-orange
Europe-Asia
Deciduous bushy shrub, 1.5-3 m high, with tomentose branches when young; peeling bark. Leaves simple, shortly petiolate, opposite, ovate, acuminate with loosely and irregularly toothed margin, with prickly veining on underside. For the rest, leaves are hairless, 4-12 cm long and 5-6 cm wide. Flowers tetramerous, actinomorphic, dialypetalous; calyx has ovate-lanceolate sepals and a white corolla with four rounded or acuminate petals, numerous stamens with yellow anthers; stylus has 4 stigmata. The flowers are isolated or, more commonly, gathered in terminal racemes of 5-9 flowers. The fruit is a capsule. Flowers in spring.
Etymology: Philadelphus, from the Greek word philos “lover” and adelphos “brother”; coronarius, similar to crown, a reference to the numerous stamens arranged in a crown or, alternatively, due to the use of the flowers to make wreaths and garlands.
Rosmarinus officinalis L.
Rosemary
Southern Europe, Asia
Evergreen bushy shrub, 1-2 m high, with quadrangular stems and simple, opposite leaves, or arranged in axillary clusters, linear, entire, with revolute margin, tomentose on underside, 2-3 cm long and 1-3 mm wide. Flowers gathered in axillary racemes, pentamerous, gamopetalous, with a bilibiate corolla, light blue-violet or whitish; bilabiate calyx with two lobes forming an upper lip and three-lobes forming a lower lip. 2 stamens. Flowers in spring-summer.
Etymology: Rosmarinus, traditionally interpreted as coming from the Latin word ros, dew or seaspray, but more likely to come from the Greek term “rosis” for giving strength and “myrinos” = aromatic due to the plant’s powerful aroma; officinalis: the name given to many plants most frequently used in workshops or monastic storerooms where medicines were made. In Metamorphoses, Ovid describes how Leucothoe, daughter of the king of Persia, was seduced by Apollo for which she was punished by her father by being put to death. However, the sun’s rays that struck her tomb turned her into rosemary. This led to the Roman tradition of placing a sprig of rosemary in the hands of the deceased. This custom was also followed in ancient Egypt and its essential oil was used in embalming. In the Middle Ages rosemary became the symbol of love and fidelity. It has many culinary uses and is a common ingredient of herbal medicine. Pliny recommended it for curing problems related to sight and the liver, while Theophrastus and Pedanius Dioscorides advised using it to improve digestion. The plant was used as a fragrance to give rooms a pleasant scent and Lucullus used to wash his hands in water scented with a sprig of Rosemary before one of his legendary meals.
Pittosporum tobira (Thunb. ex Murray) Aiton fil. (Euonymus tobira Thunb. ex Murray)
Japanese mock orange
China-Japan
Evergreen shrub or small tree, 2-4 m high; leaves simple, alternate to whorled, ovate-oblong or almost spatulate, with an entire margin, leathery, shiny, up to 10-12 cm long and up to 4 cm wide. White, scented flowers, 1.5-2.5 cm wide gathered in short cymes. Yellow-brown fruits. Flowers in spring.
Etymology: Pittosporum comes from the Greek words “pitta”, resin and ”spora”, seed, since the seeds are covered in resin; the word tobira (door) may be due to the fact that the hard wood of the pittosporum makes it suitable for doors and windows.
Prunus laurocerasus L.
Cherry laurel
Europe, Asia
Evergreen shrub or tree, 1.5-4 m high; leaves oblong, obtuse, acuminate, with an entire margin or, more frequently, toothed, shiny, more or less leathery, 10-20 cm long and about 5 cm wide. White flowers, gathered in erect terminal or axillary racemes. Fruits similar to olives, black-purplish in colour. Flowers in spring.
Etymology: Prunus is the Latin name that probably referred to various species of the same genus, in particular plum; the term laurocerasus (cherry laurel) was due to the fact that its leaves are similar to bay laurel. Plant used to make hedges because of its dense foliage.
Crataegus monogyna Jacq. (= C. oxyacantha L. ambiguous name)
English hawthorn
Europe
Spiny shrub, 1.5-4 m high, with a smooth grey-orangey bark. Leaves rhomboid, cuneate, shiny green on upper side and light green on under side, with 2-3 lobes per side and toothed towards the apex of the lobes; 2-4 cm long and about 2-4 cm wide. White flowers, gathered in clusters; 20 stamens with red anthers; single stylus. Red fruit. Flowers in spring.
Etymology: from the Greek word “Kratos”, strength, a reference to the robustness of its wood; the term ‘monogyna’ comes from the Greek word “mónos”, single and “gynè”, feminine, indicating that the flower has only one pistil. Its berries are highly nutritional and were used as a source of food by humans from as early as the Neolithic. It is still used by native Americans to create a winter food called pemmican. In ancient Greece and Rome hawthorn was considered the tree of May: according to the Romans, the plant was sacred to Flora, the goddess of spring and to Maia, goddess of the month of May and chastity. According to the Celtic calendar of trees, it was the tree used for the preparation for the summer solstice, the moment of purification during the wait for the new season. According to a legend, Joseph went to Great Britain to spread the word of Christ and as soon as he landed on the island, he placed his club on the land and a hawthorn plant was miraculously created; beside it he built the first church in England which later became a splendid medieval abbey which was razed to the ground in 1539. Each year, hawthorn flowered on Christmas Eve and a branch was brought to the king and queen of England. It was believed that the pure white flowers of the plant were the symbol of the purity of the Virgin Mary, that the scarlet berries were drops of Christ’s blood, and the thorny branches were the crown of thorns worn on Christ’s head. During the French Revolution, despite the hostility towards old customs, the importance of hawthorn was maintained and it was renamed the “tree of freedom”: more than 60,000 hawthorns were planted in France during this period. Hawthorn is widely used in herbal remedies due to its beneficial effects on the heart and its capacity to reduce cholesterol.
TREES
Acer negundo L. subsp. negundo
Box elder
North America
A deciduous, dioecious tree; up to 12-25 m high; it has a light grey or light brown bark, which is deeply cleft into broad ridges and scaly. Leaves turn yellow in autumn; they are up to 20-25 cm long, compound and imparipinnate. Yellow-greenish flowers in pendulous racemes. Samars with roughly parallel wings. Flowers in spring before the leaves have developed in their entirety.
The etymology of the name Acer is fairly controversial. According to some theories, it comes from the Latin word “asprum”, which probably refers to the acute lobes of several European species while according to others, the prefix “ac” of proto-Indoeuropean languages meaning “sharp” refers to the tradition of using the wood of this plant to make arrowheads and spears. The origin of the term negundo is just as uncertain; according to some interpretations, it means ‘Indian’ while according to others, it refers to the Malayalam term (linked to the west coast of Asian India) for this tree. Introduced into Europe in the 18th century, it is rapidly becoming an invasive plant in Italy.
Araucaria heterophylla (Salisbury) Franco
(A. excelsa (Lambert) R. Brown; Dombeya excelsa Lambert; Eutassa heterophylla Salisbury)
Norfolk Island pine
A conifer which reaches a height of up to 60 m, it has a pyramidal shape. It has a light brown bark which peels off in thin scales. Horizontal branchlets in whorls of 4-7; horizontal secondary branches, ascending or pendant. Two types of leaves: on young or lateral branches, it has needle-shaped leaves, 8-12 mm long, soft, straight or curved, shiny; on the older fertile branches, the leaves are broadly ovate, curved: 6-10 mm long and 3-6 mm wide at the base. Ovuliferous cones 7-10 x 9-12 cm, wide at the base; scales end in a curved spine about 1 cm long. The wood is excellent for woodturning and is widely used in crafts in the Hawaiian islands.
Etymology: ‘Arauco’, a province in southern Chile where the species grows wild; A. araucana; heterophylla refers to the difference in shape and size of the leaves on young and adult plants.
Cedrus
cedar
Evergreen, monoecious conifers, with a broad erect foliage and, in some species, horizontal at the apex. Two types of branches: long branches, with isolated or spiral leaves, and short branches with a clump of leaves at the apex. Terminal cones on the short branches, the ovuliferous cones ripen in two to three years; the woody scales are wider than they are long, each with two ovules. Seeds irregularly triangular, dark brown, resinous, winged.
Etymology: Cedrus (In Greek kédros) is a term probably used to refer to the Greek species of juniper and was later used for cedar given the similarity of the wood, strong and scented, of the two plants. The garden of Villa Rufolo has the following species of cedar:
Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don
(Pinus deodara Roxb.)
Deodar cedar
Himalayas
Generally dioecious tree, 40-50 m high, with conical foliage and grey bark. Bluish leaves, tufts of 15-30, 3-5 cm long. Cones are either solitary or come in pairs; they are ovate or ellipsoid, with a rounded apex, 7-10 cm long, bluish before maturing and then brown-reddish, with wide light brown wings.
It has an extremely durable wood even though it is not particularly strong. It is used widely in Asia for building. Its essential oil is used as an antiseptic.
Etymology: the term deodar comes from the Sanskrit “devadāru”, the tree of the gods
Cedrus libani A. Richard subsp. libani
Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
Cedar of Lebanon
The tree can grow to a height of 40 m, with pyramidal foliage in its early stages and then with umbrella-like foliage with horizontal or drooping pendant branches; lateral branches are often of considerable length; dark grey or brownish bark. Green leaves in tufts of 10-15, 2.5-3.5 cm long, with a quadrangular section. Cylindrical-ovoid cones, generally truncated at the apex, 7-10 cm long. Seeds 1.6 cm long, with wings reaching up to 2.5 cm in length. The cedar of Lebanon is the symbol of Lebanon and is depicted at the centre of the national flag. It has been used since antiquity to construct ships and for building. Its resin was used for embalming.
Etymology: libani (from Lebanon), referring to the area of provenance
Cercis siliquastrum L.
Judas tree
Mediterranean region, Asia
The tree can reach a height of 10 m, with a grey-brownish bark. Round or reniform leaves, 4-10 cm long and 6-14 cm wide. Flowers with a pinkish-crimson corolla, 1.5-2 cm long. The fruit is a legume, very compressed; about 12 cm long. Flowers in spring.
Etymology: the botanical name comes from the Greek term kerkís, “small boat” or “shuttle” and from the Latin word siliqua “pod”, due to the shape of the fruits. According to legend Judas Iscariot kissed Jesus under this tree and then, devastated by feelings of remorse, hanged himself there. This has led to the vernacular name of Judas Tree. It probably comes from a corruption of the French name Arbre de Judée, tree of Judea, the natural habitat of this plant.
Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) L. ‘Stricta’
Mediterranean cypress
Europe, India
The tree can reach a height of up to 50 m. Its foliage is fastigiate and compact or open; bark grey-brown, thin, smooth, peels off in large, occasionally curly scales. Main branches ascending or erect. Leaves aromatic, squamiform; dark green, densely overlapping, in 4 vertical rows. Cones ovuliferous, 2-4 cm wide, globular, shiny green, greyish when ripe, consisting of 8-14 scales with a polyhedric outline. Very long-lived tree which can live as long as 1000 years.
Etymology: according to a legend described by Ovid, the name comes Cyparissus, a boy loved by Apollo. After mistakenly killing the deer with the golden horns which the god had given him, he asked the gods to be turned into a tree so that he could mourn for eternity; the name sempervirens comes from the Latin word for evergreen.
In Italy, according to Pliny (XVI, 139-142), the cypress was a foreign tree (advena) and was named Tarentine because it may have been introduced to Taranto (Tarentum) for the first time. Pliny himself mentions that the cypress was sacred to Pluto, god of the underworld and was used in funerary rites. This may explain why it is still to be found in cemeteries as a symbol of mourning.
In Italy it has become a characteristic feature of the Tuscan landscape.
Ginkgo biloba L.
(Fam. Ginkgoaceae)
Ginkgo
China
Deciduous dioecious tree. It can grow to a height of 20-35 m, with a smooth grey bark with deep furrows only on the trunks of very old trees. The leaves are petiolate, fan-like, with deep splits midway along the edge; they turn golden yellow in autumn before falling. The seeds, 1.5-2 cm long, are enclosed within a fleshy coat, called the sarcotesta, which resembles a fruit. The sarcotesta is light yellow and rich in butirric acid which causes an unpleasant odour when the seeds fall.
Etymology: Ginkgo is the erroneous transcription of the Chinese ideograms meaning “silver apricot” (yín guŏ), by the German botanist G. Kaempfer in 1690; the name biloba refers to the deep incision in the middle of the leaf. Indigenous to China and widely cultivated today, the Ginkgo biloba is considered to be a living fossil. Its origins can be traced back to about 250 million years ago. It is a particularly hardy plant and there are specimens of about 1500 years old. Examples of this tree were present at Hiroshima at the time of the nuclear explosion and have survived until today, becoming the symbol of rebirth in Japan.
The Ginkgo biloba has numerous medicinal properties, in particular for the treatment of cerebral vascular diseases and to improve memory. The seed is widely used in Chinese and Japanese cuisine.
Pinus pinea L. (Famiglia Pinaceae)
Umbrella pine
Mediterranean region
Evergreen tree. It can grow to a height of 25 m. It has umbrella-like foliage which lies on the extremity of a single trunk covered with a reddish bark made up of quadrangular plates. The needles range in length from about 8 to 16 cm; they are gathered in groups of two and are covered at the base by a single brownish sheath and remain on the plant for 2-4 years. The ovoid pine cones are 8-15 cm long and ripen in about 36 months. Winged seeds (pine nuts).
Etymology: the botanical name comes from the Latin words pinus used to refer to the type of plant and pinea to refer to the pine cone.
Pinus pinea has been cultivated for so long in the Medietteranean region that it has become naturalised and is considered autocthonous well beyond its area of origin. Its wood was widely used in the past for ship- and boat-building. Nowadays the tree is used extensively for its pine nuts which are used in a range of dishes and as a basic ingredient for biscuits and cakes. Pliny refers to three species of pine in Italy which he calls pinus, pinaster and tibulus. The tree called pinus may correspond to the domestic pine. Virgil describes the pine trees that grow in gardens and refers to the excellence of its timber for the construction of ships. Pine nuts were also an extremely popular delicacy among the Romans. Different parts of the plant were traditionally used extensively in the Mediterranean basin, in particular as a traditional remedy for colds, asthma, bronchitis and for healing wounds.
Tilia platyphyllos Scop. subsp. platyphyllos (= T. officinarum Crantz subsp. platyphyllos; T. europaea L. p.p.)
Lime, Large-leaved lime
The tree can reach a height of 40 m. It is largely columnar, with a dark grey bark, furrowed or with thin furrows; young twigs are pubescent or glabrous. Leaves are 6-12 cm long and wide, ovate-rounded, with an asymmetrical base, serrated with sharp teeth but not mucronate, dark and opaque, sometimes pubescent on the upper side, pubescent with simple hairs on the underside; long stalk 1.5-5 cm, pubescent. Flowers gathered in inflorescences of 3-6 flowers. Long fruit 8-10 mm, piriform, woody, pubescent, with five well-defined longitudinal ribs.
Tilia cordata Miller (= T. parvifolia Ehrh.; T. sylvestris Desf.; T. europaea L. p.p.; T. ulmifolia Scop.)
Wild lime, T. riccio
Europe, Asia
The tree is fully columnar, can grow to a height of 30 m, with a bark that is initially greyish and smooth before becoming darker with reddish furrows; glabrescent twigs. Leaves are 4-12 cm long and 3-10 cm wide, orbicular, finely serrated, dark on the upper part and glaucescent and glabrous on the underside, except for the tufts of brown-reddish hairs at the axilla of the venation: the stalk is 3-5 cm long. Flowers gathered in florescences of 4-15 flowers; the stamens are as long as the petals. Fruit is globular, lightly ribbed or with no ribbing, tomentose.
Etymology: Tilia, from the Latin name of a tree which cannot be identified (Pliny, NH, XVI 66-67); cordata: from the heart-shaped leaves.
Olea europaea L.
Olive
Mediterranean region
Evergreen tree that can reach a height of 15 m. It is extremely long-lived (there are olive trees whose age has been estimated at over a thousand years). The young plants have a smooth slender trunk. As they grow older, the trunk becomes squat, contorted and furrowed. Numerous vertical stems normally develop from the base of the trunk. The foliage is densely branched. The leaves are dark green on the upper side and grey on the underside. They are 1-8 cm long and their width ranges from 3 mm to 2 cm. The leaf tips are pointed. It has numerous small white flowers ranging from 4 to 5 mm in diameter. It flowers in spring. Its fruit – the olive – known to all inhabitants of the Mediterranean, ranges from1-4 cm long. It has an oval shape and can be green or violet or almost black. It is rich in oil.
Etymology: Olea is the Latin name which comes from the Greek word eláa.
More than the fig, the olive is one of the useful plants which humans have cultivated in the Mediterranean area since remote antiquity and probably from the Neolithic (3rd – 2nd millennium BC).
The olive (olea) is frequently mentioned in ancient Roman literature and Ovid mentions its flowering. According to Pliny, the olive was brought to the Romans by the Greeks during the reign of Tarquin Priscus, but it had probably already been introduced previously into Magna Graecia and Sicily. Pliny also discusses the spread of the olive throughout the known world, its cultivation and olive oil production. As well as its culinary applications, it was widely used for treating the body, while all parts of the plant had medicinal purposes. It was also well-known for its use as the fuel for oil lamps. The olive branch later became known as a symbol of peace and it was used to make the wreaths that were placed on the heads of the winners of competitions in the ancient Olympic Games.
Citrus limon (L.) Burm. fil. (= C. medica L. forma limon)
Lemon
Uncertain origin, probably Asia
The tree can reach a height of 5 m, with thorns. Its leaves are 5-10 cm long, elliptical, crenate or finely serrated, with an acute apex and a cuneate base. Flowers are solitary or grouped in few-flowered racemes; petals suffused with pink-violet on the inside. Yellow fruit on the outside, with an oval shape, with a protuberance at the apex and pointed at the other extremity; the fruit can be up to 15 cm long; it has acidic flesh.
Etymology: the generic term comes from the Greek word ‘citron’ and the Latin word ‘citrus’, used to refer to the citron, a citrus fruit of Indian origin introduced into Greece by Alexander the Great. The specific term probably comes from the Persian word ‘limú’ which referred to citrus fruit. The lemon should be considered a hybrid between C. medica and C. aurantifolia. It appears in Pompeian frescoes and was cultivated there according to some authors. The first clear literary proof in any language about this plant comes from an Arabic text from the early tenth century. It has many culinary uses and is also used to make liqueurs. It is widely used in traditional medicine due to the presence of vitamin C and mineral salts.
Aesculus hippocastanum L.
Horse chestnut
Asia, Europe
The tree can reach a height of 30 m and has rounded foliage. Leaves are digitate with 5-7 oblong-ovate small leaves. The leaves are about 15-30 cm long and about 5-12 cm wide, irregularly or doubly serrated, glabrous except for small tufts of hairs at the beginning of the venation on the lower side of the leaf. The flowers are about 2 cm long, white with a pink or yellow centre, gathered in erect conical panicles about 30 cm long. Fruit spinescent, about 6 cm wide containing a large brown shiny seed, similar to a chestnut. Flowers in spring.
Etymology: Aesculus was the name given to oaks with edible acorns (possibly Q. robur) and was used by Linneo to refer to this plant; hippocastanum, literally chestnut for horses, since the flour from the seeds was toasted and given as a feed for weak horses. The seeds, rich in saponin, used to be ground into a paste and used as a detergent; when applied externally, it could act as a vasoconstrictor and was used as a traditional remedy to treat haemorrhoids. The flour extracted from the cotyledons is used in the cosmetics industry. Untreated seeds are toxic. The bark was once used as a febrifuge ( a medicine to reduce fever) in traditional remedies. The wood is of poor quality. Horse chestnut was introduced for the first time to Europe as an ornamental plant in Vienna in 1591.
Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb. ex Murray) Steud. (= P. imperialis Sieb. et Zucc.; Bignonia tomentosa Thunb. ex Murray)
Foxglove tree
China
A deciduous tree with a rounded foliage. It can grow to a height of 15 m. It has a grey-brown furrowed bark, alternating with smooth, shiny areas. Leaves opposite, tomentose, 12-25 cm long and 12-25 cm wide, ovate, entire or trilobate, with a heart-shaped base. Flowers scented, arranged in pyramidal panicles; corolla with 5 lobes which are violet-light crimson in colour, with yellow spots or striations on the inside of the tube of the corolla. The fruit is a capsule. Flowers in early spring, before putting out leaves.
Etymology: the name Paulownia was given in honour of Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna Romanov of Russia; the term tomentosa indicates the fact that the leaves are covered in hairs.
The wood is durable and workable. It was used in the orient to make musical instruments.
According to an ancient tradition in China, Paulownia was planted at the birth of a baby girl and cut down when she reached a marriageable age to made objects for her dowry. [/toggle]
ELENCO FLOGISTICO
AMARYLLIDACEAE
–Haemanthus coccineusL. – Sud Africa
APOCYNACEAE
–Nerium oleander L. – (Asia) Naturalizzato nel Mediterraneo
AQUIFOLIACEAE
–Ilex aquifolium L. – Asia occidentale, Europa
–Ilex opaca L. – Stati Uniti orientali
ARACAURIACEAE
–Araucaria heterophylla (Salisbury) Franco – Is. Norfolk /arancione
ARACEAE
–Monstera deliciosaLiebm – Sud America
-Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott – India, Sud est asiatico
ARALIACEAE
–Hedera helix L. – Europa, Asia occidentale
–Aralia sieboldi K. Koch – Giappone, Taiwan
AREACAEAE
–Phoenix canariensis Chabaud. – Is. Canarie
–Howea forsteriana Becc. – is. Lord Howe (Australia)
1. Washingtonia filifera (Lindl.) H. Wend. – Stati Uniti sud occidentali, Messico
2. Washingtonia robusta(Lindl.) H. Wend. – Messico
–Jubea chiliensis (Molina) Baill. – Cile
-Chamaerops humilis L. – Mediterraneo
ASPARAGACEAE
-Yucca Gloriosa L. – Stati Uniti
-Nolina recurvata (Lem.) Hemsl. – Messico
–Cordyline australis (Forst.f.) Hook. f. – Australia
–Cordyline australis ‘Variegata’ (Forst.f.) Hook. f. – Australia
–Chlorophytum elatum L. -Sud Africa
BIGNONIACEAE
-Tecomaria capensis L. – Argentina
–Dolichandra unguis-cati (L.) Miers – America centrale, Caraibi
BUXACEAE
-Buxus sempervirens L. – Europa, Asia
-Buxus sempervirens‘Variegata’ L. – Europa, Asia
–Buxus balearica L. – Europa, Africa
CACTACEAE
–Opuntia hyptiacantha F.A.C. Weber – Sud America
-Echinopsis pachanoi Britton & Rose – America centrale
-Cereus peruvianus var. monstruosus DC. – America centrale
-Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. – Messico
CALESTRACEAE
–Euonymus japonicus L. fil. – Giappone
CAPRIFOLIACEAE
-Abelia x grandiflora(André) Rehd. – Italia
–Viburnum tinusL. – Europa
CYCADACEAE
–Cycas revoluta Thunb. – Giappone
CYPERACEAE
–Cyperus alternifolius L. – Madagascar
CORNACEAE
–Aucuba japonica Thunb. – Giappone
CUPREASSACEAE
–Cupressus sempervirens L. – Mediterraneo
EQUISETACEAE
-Equisetum palustre L. – Europa, Asia, Nord America
FABACEAE
–Cercis siliquastrum L. – Mediterraneo
–Erythrina cfr. crista galli L. – America centrale
–Coronilla coronata L. – Europa
–Wisteria floribunda (Willd) DC. – Giappone
GINKGOACEAE
–Ginkgo biloba L. – Cina
HYDRANGEACEAE
-Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb). Ser – Cina, Giappone
-Philadelphus coronarius L. – Europa
LAMIACEAE
-Rosmarinus officinalis L. – Europa, Asia, Africa
MENISPERMACEAE
–Cocculus laurifolius DC. – Himalaya, Giappone, Cina
MALVACEAE
–Adansonia digitata L. – Africa
–Tilia cordata Mill. – Europa, Asia
-Tilia platiphyllos Scop. – Europa
MORACEA
-Ficus pumilia L. – Asia
NYCTAGINACEAE
–Bougainvillea glabraChoisy – Brasile
NYMPHEACEAE
–Nymphaea alba L. – Europa
OLEACEAE
-Olea europea L. – Mediterraneo
–Jasminum officinale L. – Cina
ONAGRACEAE
–Fuchsia magellanica. – Giappone
PINACEAE
-Cedrus deodara Roxb. Ex (D.Don) D. Don – Himalaya
-Cedrus atlantica Stephan Endlicher – G. Manetti, ex Elie- Abel Carrière – Nord Africa
-Cedrus libani A. Rich. – Oriente
–Pinus pinea L. – Mediterraneo
PITTOSPORACEAE
1. Pittosporum tobira (Thunb.) WT Aiton – Giappone e Cina
POLYGONACEAE
–Muehlenbeckia complexa Meissn. – Nuova Zelanda
PTERIDACEAE
-Adiantum capillus-veneris L. – Stati Uniti
ROSACEAE
1. Prunus domestica L. – Europa
–Prunus laurocerasus L. – Europa, Asia
–Prunus laurocerasus rotundifolia L. – Europa, Asia
–Rosa banksiae ‘Alba plena’ Lindley – Cina
–Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ Redher – Cina
–Crataegus monogyna Jacq. – Europa, Asia
RUTACEAE
–Citrus reticulataBlanco – Cina
–Citrus x limon (L.) Burm.f. – Cina
SAXIFRAGACEAE
-Bergenia crassifolia (L.) Fritsch – Siberia
SAPINDACEAE
–Acer negundoL. – Stati Uniti
–Aesculus hippocastanum L. – Europa orientale
SCROPHULARIACEAE
1. Paulownia tomentosa(Thunb.) Steud. – Cina
STRELITZIACEAE
–Strelitzia reginae Regel & Körn – Sudafrica, Madagascar
VITACEAE
-Vitis vinifera L. – Europa, Asia
–Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch. – Stati Uniti, Canada
–Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Siebold. & Zucc.) – Stati Uniti, Canada
XANTHORRHOEACEAE
-Aloe aculeata Pole Evans – Sud Africa
-Aloe ferox Mill. – Sud Africa
-Phormium tenax variegatum J.R.Forst. & G. Forst – Nuova Zelanda
81 ornamental species are currently cultivated in the gardens of Villa Rufolo (the terms refers to species, subspecies and varieties, with a total of 41 families).
n.1 Amaryllydaceae
n.1 Apocynaceae
n.2 Aquifoliaceae
n.1 Aracauriaceae
n.2 Araceae
n.2 Araliaceae
n.6 Areaceae
n.5 Asparagaceae
n.2 Bignoniaceae
n.3 Buxaceae
n.4 Cactaceae
n.1 Calestraceae
n.2 Caprifoliaceae
n.1 Cycadaceae
n.1 Cyperaceae
n.1 Cornaceae
n.1 Cupressaceae
n.1 Equisetaceae
n.4 Fabaceae
n.1 Ginkgoaceae
n.2 Hydrangeaeceae
n.1 Lamiaceae
n.1 Menispermaceae
n.3 Malvaceae
n.1 Moraceae
n.1 Nyctaginaceae
n.1 Nympheaceae
n.2 Oleaceae
n.1 Onagraceae
n.4 Pinaceae
n.2 Pittosporaceae
n.1 Polygonaceae
n.1 Pteridaceae
n.6 Rosaceae
n.2 Rutaceae
n.1 Saxifragaceae
n.2 Sapindaceae
n.1 Scrophulariaceae
n.1 Strelitziaceae
n.3 Vitaceae
n.3 Xanthorrhoaceae
The families in the gardens of Villa Rufolo. The term refers to species, subspecies and varieties.
The arum family (Areaceae) and the rose family (Roasaceae) are the most numerous plant families cultivated in Villa Rufolo. The diagnostic traits of three biological entities did not prove particularly useful for identification purposes.
By analysing the area of geographic origin of these entities (fig 1.) it emerged that there was a significant percentage of species from Asia (24%), Europe (17%) and Central-South America (15%). These results reflect a tendency to search for rare and exotic plants to create gardens that had already become popular in the late eighteenth century. Sir Nevile Reid was also influenced by this trend and he brought back exotic plants to Villa Rufolo after his frequent journeys around the world.
