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Common name: Willow
Scientific name: Salix babylonica
Family: Salicaceae

General description: This tree can grow up to 25 meters high. Its main feature is the open crown of ground-sweeping branches.

Origin and distribution: It is native to China that can now be found all over the world.

Usefulness and applications: Branches, roots, leaves, flowers and seeds are used to make medicines that help to relieve pain. From its bark, salicin with anti-inflammatory properties. Wood is used in the pulp industry. This willow has high purifying capacity by absorbing air pollutants. As an ornamental tree, it promotes beauty and environmental renewal.

Curiosities: In the Christian tradition, it is said that the whiner doubled his branch to hide the Virgin Mary and Jesus in the flight to Egypt. In Roman mythology, it was the tree dedicated to Juno, goddess of fertility.

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work by: André A., Camila R., Madalena R., Leonardo M., Matilde S., João S., Joel J., Luana B. and Xavier F.

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Common name:  Linden Tree
Scientific name: Tilia cordata
Family: Malvaceae

General description: The linden tree has a gray trunk, very smooth in the young specimens, becoming darker and cracked with age. The canopy is rounded.

Origin and distribution: Natural of Europe, it is not an original tree from Portugal but much used in gardens.

Usefulness and applications: The wood of these species is soft and easy to work, much used in the middle ages in church retables. Due to its acoustic properties it is used in specific components of some musical instruments. Much appreciated also by bees, their flowers are used to make infusions (tea).

Curiosities: For the Germanic peoples, the linden trees were sacred trees with magical powers that protected the warriors.

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work by: To N.

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Common name:  Mulberry
Scientific name: Morus
Family: Moraceae

General description: Mulberry can reach 4 to 5 meters  height. Its trunk is dark, slightly rough and has a large tree top.

Origin and distribution: From Asia, it arrived in Europe where is very well  adapted, especially in the South. It has been cultivated for thousands of years.

Usefulness and applications: In Ancient China, its shell was used to make paper. Its leaves are used to feed the silkworm. Its fruits, blackberries, have diuretic and refreshing properties.

Curiosities: The buds of mulberry trees are the last to burst when all the cold has passed. Because of this mechanism of sensible survival, was dedicated, by the Romans, to Minerva, the goddess of wisdom.

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work by: Camila F., Ricardo H. and Sofia P.

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Common name:  Walnut
Scientific name: Juglans regia
Family: Juglandaceae

General description: Walnut is a tree that can reach up to 30 meters in height. It has deciduous leaf, dense foliage and is very branched. It likes humidity and limy soils. Its fruit is the nut.

Origin and distribution: It is distributed throughout southern Europe and western Asia.

Usefulness and applications: The walnut can be eaten on their own or as an ingredient of a dish. An oil extracted from the walnut  is also used in salads. The leaves are used to make tea and medicines. Its high quality wood is widely used.

Curiosities: “Nogueira” is a well known surname in Portugal. Nogueiras are people who enjoy love and family, tranquility, harmony and beauty.

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work by: Violeta K., Eduardo C. and João V.

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Common name:  Orange tree
Scientific name: Citrus sinensis
Family: Rutaceae

General description: The orange tree can reach a height of 10 meters. The flowers are very fragrant, small and white. Its fruit is the orange.

Origin and distribution: Native to China, it was introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by the Arabs and was brought to Europe by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Currently, it is widely cultivated in the Mediterranean region.

Usefulness and applications: Leaves, flowers and fruits are widely used in  food industry, medicinal products and cosmetics. From the orange peel, limonene is extracted by distillation, which is applied to health and wellness products. The wood is suitable for turning.

Curiosities: In the fifteenth century, in Europe, orange was considered a luxury fruit, only for rich people. In many languages, the word "portugal" means orange. Traditionally, orange blossom has a prominent place in the decoration of weddings, as it symbolizes purity and fertility.

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work by: Martim S., Martim P., Santiago M., Salvador S., Joana S., Sara G., Cláudio S., Constança M., Filipe C., Joana A., Lara P., Mafalda M., Estêvão L., Francisco C., Gonçalo F., Guilherme P., Lara N., Mariana N., Martim S. and Rodrigo A.

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Common name: Olive Tree
Scientific name: Olea europaea
Family: Oleaceae

General description: Olive tree can reach 15 meters high and live more than 2000 years. Its canopy is wide and rounded and its trunk is thick and rather tortuous. Its leaf is persistent.

Origin and distribution: Originating in Asia, it is now  throughout the Mediterranean region to the Middle East.

Usefulness and applications: The fruit, the olive, and the oil extracted from it are used in many recipes. Olive oil is also used in lighting, such as fuel and ointment. The leaves have medicinal application and the wood, with high resistance, is used for furniture. Currently, the olive tree has been used in landscaping.

Curiosities: This tree has a great symbolic load: the dove of peace carries an olive branch in the beak; on Palm Sunday, an olive branch is brought to the church to bless. The oldest olive tree in Portugal has 3350 years.

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work by: Contança M., Filipa N., Francisco R., Afonso L., Lara S., Leonardo A., Francisca R., Sofia S. and Matilde M.

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Common name:  Pine Tree
Scientific name: Pinus pinea
Family: Pinaceae

General description: This tree can exceed 30 meters in height. It has a rounded canopy of persistent leaf and can last for 250 years. Its fruit is the pine nut, which appears every 4 years because the pine cones take 3 years to mature and one more until they release the seeds.

Origin and distribution: It has its origin in Asia and is distributed throughout southern Europe. It is an emblematic species of the Mediterranean.

Usefulness and applications: It is much appreciated as an ornamental or yielding tree. From it, resin is extracted to produce glues, varnishes and perfumes. Pine nuts can be consumed directly or be used in cooking. Its wood is impermeable, so it is used in ships construction and in railways.

Curiosities: The wood of this tree was chosen for the ships construction that during Portuguese discoveries doubled the Cape of Good Hope.

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work by: Matilde F., Ana Leonor and Rodrigo L.

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Common name: Purple Leaf Plum Tree
Scientific name: Prunus cerasifera
Family: Rosaceae

General description: Purple leaf plum tree is a medium-sized deciduous tree that is a popular showcase plant in landscapes. It is planted most often because of its deep reddish-purple leaves and white to pale pink flowers, which are among the first to appear in spring. The fruits are globular and purple in color, ripening in late summer.

Origin and distribution: Originally from the Balkan Peninsula and Crimea, it is a tree widely used as ornamental in parks and gardens in Portugal.

Usefulness and applications: Although it is short-lived compared to other trees, it grows fast and is great for use as a fruit specimen, on streets, or as shade tree.

Curiosities: Acid plum, picked green in spring, or ripe in autumn, is often used in Georgian cuisine, where it is known as the Tkemali, to season soups and stews.
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work by: To N.

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Common name:  Lemon tree
Scientific name: Citrus limon
Family: Rutaceae

General description: Lemon tree is a small tree and its fruit is the lemon. Fructifies  throughout the year. It is a sun loving tree and needs space to buck his branches.

Origin and distribution: Originally from Persia, it was brought to Europe by the Arabs. It lives in hot regions or temperate climate.

Usefulness and applications: Lemon is used for teas, seasoning food, fending ants, flavouring environments and even as a disinfectant. The leaves can prevent anemia, flu and foul breath. From the bark is removed an aromatic essence used in perfumery.

Curiosities: In India, the woman chose her future husband by making a strange statement: she threw a lemon at him.

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work by: Leticia G., Mael F., R. Brito and Beatriz S.

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Common name: Loquat
Scientific name: Eryobotrya japonica
Family: Rosaceae

General description: Loquat is a tree that can reach 10 meters in height. Its fruit is the loquat. It has clusters of very fragrant white flowers blooming in autumn. It is therefore of great importance to the bees, because, in this season, there aren´t many flowers.

Origin and distribution: It is originally from China and the largest producer of loquat is Japan. The loquat is cultivated all over the world.

Usefulness and applications: For medicinal purposes we can use, the leaves, the bark of the branches, the fruits and, with some moderation, the toasted and ground stone. Medlar is also used in some food preparation.

Curiosities: In Minho, northern of Portugal, the loquat is popularly called magnório,  probably something to do with the French botanist Pierre Magnol, from which also comes the name of the magnolias.

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work by: Lara M., Simone C., Mateus C. and Maria D.

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Common name: Fig tree
Scientific name: Ficus carica
Family: Moraceae

General description: The fig tree can reach a height  between 4 and 14 meters. Its trunk is grey, its  bark is soft and contains latex. Its roots can expand for more than 15 meters on the ground and its wood is resistant to pests and diseases.

Origin and distribution: The Arabs in the 8th century brought it to the Iberian Peninsula. It has been cultivated in the Mediterranean Basin for thousands of years.

Usefulness and applications: Fig is rich in vitamins making it a very nutritious and energetic food. It is used in medicine to relieve lung diseases. Leaves and milky sap are also used in medicinal products.

Curiosities: Fig is considered a false fruit, because, in reality, it is a succulent flower with a modified structure. It is said that when they were expelled from paradise, Adam and Eve were covered with fig leaves.

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work by: R. Bondar, Filipe D. and Gabriel G.