JBCLM | 2010-2025
39. Calcareous Rock Garden
With a wide variety of plant species generally associated with rocky areas or steep, stony terrain.
The rock garden is the section of the Botanical Garden of Castilla–La Mancha with the highest floristic density. Within only 40 m², a wide variety of species typically associated with rocky, steep, or stony environments has been established. Many plants are well adapted to these inaccessible, competition-poor habitats, where they find refuge from herbivores and dominant vegetation. The high floristic diversity of this collection results in a vibrant mosaic of colours, with blooms occurring successively throughout the year.
Most plants here are endemic and/or threatened, including the Alcaraz mustard (Coincya rupestris subsp. rupestris), also present in the adjacent Betic holm oak collection. This species is restricted worldwide to only two localities in the Sierra de Alcaraz. Other species featured in this picturesque collection include Echium boissieri, Iberis saxatilis, Phlomis crinita, Phlomis herba-venti, Teucrium chamaedrys, Saponaria ocymoides, Cytisus fontanesii, Hormathophylla spinosa, Dianthus broteri, Paeonia officinalis, Tanacetum vahlii, and Sedum sediforme.
