Spectrum | 26.11.2008 | 00:30
The Palmeral of Elche
The Palmeral of Elche is a plantation of palm trees in the Spanish province of Alicante. It is the largest palm grove in Europe and one of the largest in the world, surpassed in size only by some in Arab countries.
This landscape of groves of date palms was formally laid out, with elaborate irrigation systems, at the time the Muslim city of Elche was erected, towards the end of the tenth century A.D., when much of the Iberian peninsula was Arab. The Palmeral is an oasis, a system for agrarian production in arid areas. It is also a unique example of Arab agricultural practices on the European continent. But, you may well wonder, where does the scientific significance lie when it comes to the humble palm? Danny Wood explains.
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