ÁRBOLES MONUMENTALES 2008

The Monumental Trees series is this year devoted to the black poplar of Horcajuelo (Alamo negro de Horcajuelo) depicted in the stamp.

The black poplar, or Populus nigra, belongs to the family of the Salicaceae native to Europe, southwest and central Asia, and northwest Africa. It grows throughout the Iberian Peninsula and it’s the fastest growing species. It is a deciduous tree with an open crown growing to more than 30 m tall. The leaves are simple, spirally arranged and can be triangular or circular and with a long petiole. Their fruit is a two to four valved capsule, green to reddish-brown, containing numerous tiny light brown seeds surrounded by tufts of long, cotton, white hairs. It is used for pulpwood and for the manufacture of paper and plywood. It grows along riversides on fertile grounds with a high level of humidity. Its slim silhouette has been praised throughout history by poets and writers such as Machado, Azorín and Unamuno. The poplar of Horcajuelo, also known as poplar of uncle Leoncio’s meadow (Prado del tío Leoncio) grows in the village of Brabos, near Horcajuelos. It is a slim tree 26 m high and has a trunk 6,80 m wide with a perimeter at the trunk’s base of 5,20 m and is divided into branches which can have perimeters of up to 2,72 m. The tree grows by the river Arevalillo and stands out with its slim figure in the desolate fields surrounding it. This variety is known as italica and was introduced in Europe in the second half of the XVIII century. It has an ornamental value and has become part of the Castilian landscape growing in river banks, paths and tree-lined avenues.