Botanical Garden of Lourizán

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Botanical Garden of Lourizán is an arboretum on the 54-hectare Lourizán estate in Pontevedra, Spain. It was created in 1949 and is owned by the Xunta de Galicia. The garden hosts over 850 plant species and about 1,900 trees from around the world, including some very old and very tall specimens. Highlights include a Cedar of Lebanon more than 130 years old and the oldest metasequoia in the Iberian Peninsula.

Since 1993, the Parque das Autonomías within the park features around 50 species representing Spain’s autonomous communities. There are also areas for flora from Taiwan and Australia, as well as Eucaliptetetum and Coniferetum with many species. Native trees like oaks, chestnuts, birches and sycamores grow alongside exotic trees such as cypresses, araucarias, cedars, magnolias and privet. The garden has a notable camellia collection, including a Japanese camellia reaching 20.5 meters. A New Zealand rimu and a small Taiwanese garden are also present. Some camellias here are linked to the 19th‑century Portuguese horticulture of José Marques Loureiro. The Merino herbarium is kept in the arboretum.

The estate dates back to the 15th century as a farm. In the 19th century it was bought by politician Eugenio Montero Ríos, who built the current manor house as his summer residence. On February 25, 1943, the Lourizán estate was established to support education and research, donated for that purpose. It became a site for studying fast‑growing woods to meet Spain’s needs and later became part of the Xunta’s Lourizán Forest and Environment Research Centre, a key place for forestry education.