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What are so many orange trees doing in Sant Andreu? Participating in the Barnatresc (urban walks in Barcelona), we were able to discover charming streets full of orange trees, as seen in this photographic report in La Vanguardia's Readers' Photos.
These orange trees give a touch of the countryside to the urban landscape and these days allow you to enjoy their color and smell first in flowers and then with the oranges.
Sant Andreu de Palomar was an independent municipality but became part of Barcelona in 1897. However, neighborhoods such as Sarrià and Vallvidrera were incorporated into Barcelona later, around 1921.
Many streets in Sant Andreu had to change their names to avoid duplication with the names of the streets of the main city.
Antonio Alfonso Franco, project manager for the Sant Andreu district under Mayor Pasqual Maragall, had a passion for trees.
So he transformed the greenery of the streets of Sant Andreu by introducing orange trees. But, apparently, this technician was not responsible for the orange trees that populate this neighborhood, since he himself said that "it was all the work of Antonio Santiburcio", councilor of the Barcelona City Council between 1987 and July 2001. "He was from Jaén and the trees were always very present," he said.
You can find these beautiful orange trees in streets such as Ramon Batlle, Sócrates, Abat Odó, Coroleu, Pare Secchi, Rubén Darío and even in Doctor Santponç and Ignasi Iglesias streets.
So, the next time you stroll through these cobblestone streets of Sant Andreu, take a moment to appreciate the burst of color and flavor that the orange trees provide.
Citrus aurantium is a small evergreen tree with a rounded crown, native to Southeast Asia. It blooms in April and May, with solitary flowers or in small groups of white and very aromatic.
The fruits are orange in color and ripen between late autumn and early winter. They are bitter. It is of hybrid origin between Citrus maxima (the large grapefruit) and Citrus reticulata (the mandarin tree).
In Barcelona it is used as a street or park tree due to its small, rounded port and its scented flowers. It can also be grown in large containers or pots, so that, in cold areas, in winter they can be removed and protected.
We suggest you visit the magnificent municipal application Biodiversity Atlas of Barcelona, where we can find detailed information in cards and maps about the different plants, trees, birds, butterflies, fish, vertebrates, plant communities and naturalized ponds in the city.
There is an application that allows you to access information sheets and details about the location of what we are looking for, on the different street maps of the 72 neighborhoods of the city.
