• NAME La Trufa Garden. RABJEN
  • WEBSITE http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/
  • EMAIL jmicologico.latrufa.cmaot@juntadeandalucia.es
  • PHONE  (+34) 671 59 95 62
  • OPENING HOURS
    • October to May: Tuesday to Friday (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.).
    • Saturdays and Sundays (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.).
    • June to September: Tuesday to Friday (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.).
    • Saturdays and Sundays (9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.).
  • OWNERSHIP Public institution. Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio (CMAOT).
  • DIRECTOR Carmen Rodriguez Hiraldo.
  • FACILITIES The infrastructure associated with the garden includes: a classroom/workshop, two interpretive rooms and one interpretive gallery, an auditorium, restrooms, a storage room, a laboratory, a mushroom collection, a library, five offices, and a mushroom production and cultivation unit.
  • AREA (IN SQM) –
  • NUMBER OF SPECIES 136 plant species and 118 fungi.
  • CONSERVATION PROGRAMMES

1) Locating and monitoring of protected, threatened, endemic, and rare flora and fungi taxa present in Andalusia.

2) Collection of seeds and other propagules from the taxa under study, intended for:

    • Development of germination and establishment protocols.
    • Representation in different botanical and mycological gardens.
    • Conservation in the Andalusian Plant Germplasm Bank.
    • Reintroduction or population reinforcement actions in the environment.

3) Representation of the vegetation, flora, and mycoflora that characterize the various biogeographical sectors of Andalusia.

4) Maintenance of conservation collections and genetic rescues.

5) Participation in the development of Planes de Recuperación aprobados por la Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio, in this case, two of the four plans currently approved: Pteridofitos and Altas Cumbres.

  • RESEARCH PROGRAMMES

1) Collaboration with research centers, such as the CSIC, and universities, both regional and national, for the study of protected and endangered taxa present in the Andalusian community. The collections of botanical and mycological gardens are a tool for scientific research, as they provide genetic material from remote locations in the wild and bring together species in a single place for more effective research. Research centers such as the CSIC, other botanical gardens, private foundations, companies, and various universities rely on the equipment and resources offered by the Network to develop projects in different fields, including studies on pests, the effects of herbivory, trials with special substrates, and the monitoring of invasive alien species.

2) Collaboration with the Sociedad Española de Biología de la Conservación de Plantas (SEBICOP) on the SEFA Project (Seguimiento de Especies de Flora Amenazadas y de Protección Especial en España), which consists of studying the status of 70 species listed in the annexes to the Directiva de Hábitats, the Catálogo Español, or the LESPRE.

3) Permanent member of the Asociación Ibero-Macaronésica de Jardines Botánicos (AIMJB).

  • EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

1) The Aldea Program, a program developed in collaboration with the Regional Ministry of Education, whose goal is to promote the integrated development of educational initiatives for the conservation of natural resources and the promotion of sustainable development within the Andalusian educational community, with the aim of contributing to a more environmentally friendly, fair, and supportive society, enabling the achievement of a comprehensive education that shares and is based on the four educational pillars proposed by UNESCO: Learning to be / Learning to live together / Learning to know / Learning to do.

2) Training courses for professional sectors that require technical training in endangered and interesting flora.

3) Activities and workshops on different topics and at different levels aimed at all types of audiences as a way of introducing them to Andalusia’s floral values: workshops on photography, traditional uses of plants, knowledge of certain plant groups, etc.

4) Guided tours to learn about the contents of the different botanical gardens.

5) Permanent workshops with groups that can observe the dynamics of the gardens at different times of the year.

 

 

La Trufa Mycological Garden is located between the villages of Zagrilla Baja and Zagrilla Alta in Priego de Córdoba, in the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park, and owes its name to a fungus commonly found in the area: the summer truffle, a species similar to the black truffle, which is usually found in oak groves, generally with less coverage than the black truffle, adapted to a wider range of temperatures and less rainfall.

 

This unique and beautiful area has been declared a UNESCO Global Geopark and is recognized as a Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA).

 

During the tour, visitors will be able to learn about some of the region’s flora, vegetation, and fungi, ranging from endangered species to common species found in the main plant formations, as well as others associated with crops such as chestnut and hazelnut trees. They will also find a selection of mushrooms such as button mushrooms, wood blewit mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, shaggy ink cap mushrooms, and different types of boletus, among other species of wild Andalusian mushrooms, which demonstrate the symbiotic associations between plants and fungi and the lifestyles of saprophytic and parasitic fungi.

 

The visit of the garden is complemented by a tour of two interpretation rooms and a gallery, which explain the ecological functions of fungi, their importance in the balance of ecosystems, and the relationships between fungi and humans throughout history, as well as the basics for studying their characteristics, basic tips for good harvesting practices, and various curiosities about this kingdom that will not leave visitors indifferent.

 

 

 

 

 

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