Garoé
Encyclopedia
The Garoé, Oreodaphne foetens or Rain tree of Hierro island, is a species of plant
in the genus Oreodaphne
in the Lauraceae
family. It is species living in laurisilva
a type of laurel forest
adapted to Macaronesian islands. It is found in Canary
islands, Madeira
, Azores
.
It is an evergreen fragrant tree of considerable size, which is indigenous to Macaronesian archipelago. This tree is related with Oreodaphne Californica from California and Mexico
and other tropical american species. It has also medicinal virtues like to California laurel. The tree, looking like a californian bay has a berries consumed mostly by endemic madeiran pigeon Columba trocaz.
It was a tree sacred to the Bimbaches, the older inhabitants of El Hierro
in the Canary Islands
and was one of its symbols.
Due to its location, where tradewinds occur, the water from the clouds is condensed from the branches from the trees and it later pours rain around the island. This phenomenon takes place throughout the Canary Islands. The legend asserts that the Garoé was a large laurel tree that assured the life of the Bimbaches, providing them water in sufficient amounts for their survival. The Bimbaches later filled water chaffs and water was transported to towns to all parts of the island.
One of many legends says that the water originating from the tree was led to a hole from which the Bimbaches could provide water. It was from this form as they managed to reject the Castilian
or Spanish invasion for a certain period of time.
The original tree fell in a storm in 1610. In 1957, another laural was planted in the same location as the Garoé. It has been growing and is presently surrounded by moss
es. Clouds continue to pass through the summits of the island and, during foggy days, produce the observable phenomenon of horizontal rain. As it happens with all the legends, the Garoé has been left in herreña conscience as a sacred tree able to provide water to the island.
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the genus Oreodaphne
Oreodaphne
Oreodaphne is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae. The genus includes five species of evergreen trees, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Mauritius, California, Sudafrica and Macaronesian archipelagos. Oreodaphne is related with Ocotea...
in the Lauraceae
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
family. It is species living in laurisilva
Laurisilva
Laurisilva or laurissilva is a subtropical forest, found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. They are characterised by evergreen, glossy-leaved tree species that look alike with leaves of lauroide type...
a type of laurel forest
Laurel forest
Laurel forest is a subtropical or mild temperate forest, found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. They are characterized by tree species with evergreen, glossy, enlongated leaves, known as laurophyll or lauroide...
adapted to Macaronesian islands. It is found in Canary
Canary
The Atlantic Canary , also called the Island Canary, Canary or Common Canary, is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Serinus in the finch family, Fringillidae. It is native to the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira. Wild birds are mostly yellow-green, with brownish streaking on the...
islands, Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
.
It is an evergreen fragrant tree of considerable size, which is indigenous to Macaronesian archipelago. This tree is related with Oreodaphne Californica from California and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and other tropical american species. It has also medicinal virtues like to California laurel. The tree, looking like a californian bay has a berries consumed mostly by endemic madeiran pigeon Columba trocaz.
It was a tree sacred to the Bimbaches, the older inhabitants of El Hierro
El Hierro
El Hierro, nicknamed Isla del Meridiano , is the smallest and farthest south and west of the Canary Islands , in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a population of 10,162 .- Name :The name El Hierro, although phonetically identical to the Spanish word for 'iron', is generally thought...
in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and was one of its symbols.
Due to its location, where tradewinds occur, the water from the clouds is condensed from the branches from the trees and it later pours rain around the island. This phenomenon takes place throughout the Canary Islands. The legend asserts that the Garoé was a large laurel tree that assured the life of the Bimbaches, providing them water in sufficient amounts for their survival. The Bimbaches later filled water chaffs and water was transported to towns to all parts of the island.
One of many legends says that the water originating from the tree was led to a hole from which the Bimbaches could provide water. It was from this form as they managed to reject the Castilian
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
or Spanish invasion for a certain period of time.
The original tree fell in a storm in 1610. In 1957, another laural was planted in the same location as the Garoé. It has been growing and is presently surrounded by moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es. Clouds continue to pass through the summits of the island and, during foggy days, produce the observable phenomenon of horizontal rain. As it happens with all the legends, the Garoé has been left in herreña conscience as a sacred tree able to provide water to the island.