Oliveira do Peso, located in Pedrogão, county Vidigueira, came third in the “Tree of the Year” Competition, won by the Japanese camellia from Quinta de Margaride, in Mesão Frio, Guimarães.
The winning specimen had already been classified as being of public interest and will represent Portugal at European level.
The Japanese camellia of Quinta de Margaride, in Mesão Frio, Guimarães, was the winner of the competition, with 3 900 votes, followed by Sobreiro do Rei, in Mafra, with 3 075 votes and for Oliveira do Peso, in Pedrogão, Vidigueira, with 2 988 votes. The winning tree will be the national representative in the Tree of the Year competition 2024, whose winner, in 2018, was the whistler cork oak of Águas de Moura. Portugal has already had six finalist trees in this competition.
The winning camellia of the 7th edition of the competition will have approximately 300 years and was considered to be of public interest by order no. 837/2022, from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action. The copy has 6,30 meters in diameter and 6,15 tall and the crown is topiary (pruned) bell-shaped. This tree is found in the yard of Casa de Margaride, next to a stone tank where water runs permanently.
OLIVEIRA DO PESO | candidate for European Tree of the Year
Due to its heritage significance, the oldest ancient olive tree in Herdade do Peso, in Pedrógão do Alentejo, in the Vidigueira municipality, was among the candidates for European tree of the year at Tree of the Year 2024.
It is the oldest dated olive tree in the country with 3712 years of history, was among the 10 finalists who could represent Portugal in the European edition.
This competition aims to highlight the importance of ancient trees in the cultural and natural heritage of regions and, accordingly, the Municipality of Vidigueira applied to Oliveira do Peso.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
