JBCLM | 2010-2025
13. Ruidera Terraces
The Ruidera terraces include cultivated fruit trees and flora typical of the region's high mountains.
The recreated Ruidera terraces in the Castilla-La Mancha Botanical Garden include a small collection of fruit trees traditionally grown in the orchards of this area, located between Albacete and Ciudad Real. Cultivated species include olive (Olea europaea), cherry (Prunus avium), fig (Ficus carica), and loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), along with a row of white poplars (Populus alba), common along the banks and areas influenced by water bodies, and a hedge of lavender (Lavandula x intermedia).
At the edges of the terraces, small native shrubs with a cushion-like or compact growth form have been planted, typical of high mountains in Castilla-La Mancha, mainly from the Sierra de Alcaraz and other southeastern Iberian areas, adding notable landscape value. These ornamental plants provide colorful blooms in white, pink, and yellow from mid-winter to early summer. They are drought-tolerant species, including rock candytuft (Iberis saxatilis subsp. cinerea), Vella spinosa, germanders (Teucrium chamaedrys), spiny alyssum (Hormathophylla spinosa), soapwort (Saponaria ocymoides), and mountain kidney vetch (Anthyllis montana), among others.
