An ancient olive tree in Fornalutx has been named Best Monumental Olive Tree in Spain 2020, by an expert jury of the Spanish Association of Olive Municipalities, or AEMO.
“Clinging to the ground by a spectacular pedestal, its woody ancestral roots extend over a large area and its unique 6.5 metre perimeter trunk draws a lofty figure of great volume and impossible lines,” said AEMO.
According to the Association, the olive tree "Can Det" was probably planted by Muslims in the 9th century, long before the reconquest of the island by Christian troops in the 13th century.
The olive tree belongs to the native variety, Empeltre Mallorquina and stands proud amongst the Soller Valley’s impressive stone terraces at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, which have recently been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the Cultural Landscape category.
The AEMO jury was chaired by Dr. Angjelina Belaj, a prestigious Geneticist Researcher who directs the World Bank for Germplasm of olive trees at the IFAPA in Córdoba, where more than 1,000 entries from the entire Mediterranean Arc are grown.