Oldest and largest ficus Magnoloides tree in Italy - Palermo

In the city garden "Giardino Garibaldi", also called Villa Garibaldi, the ficus Magnoloides is certainly the main attraction .

It is considered one of the oldest and largest in Italy, with a height of 30 meters, a trunk circumference of more than 21 meters and a crown with a diameter of 50 meters.

It belongs to the species Ficus macrophylla, just like a specimen in the botanical garden of Palermo, of which it is the symbol.

The tree was planted in 1864 in the aftermath of Garibaldi's revolution to erase with green the red of the blood of the 188 martyrs in the spectacular "auto da fé" staged by the inquisitors in the square. The municipality has awarded it the title "Tree of the 150 years of Unification of Italy".

In 2016 and 2020 , the tree lost two major branches in an event known as 'summer branch drop' . To prevent this phenomenon, the tree underwent major restoration and improvement works in 2019, including the creation of some cercini (openings in the pavement) to allow the aerial roots to grow regularly and provide support for the horizontal branches.

Willem Vandenameele