The Ombú of Largo do Limoeiro

The square is named after a lemon tree that is long gone. What replaced it as the local landmark is an ombú, a South American species with a swollen, fluted trunk that can measure some seventeen metres around at the base, wider than most house facades on the street. It grows against the outer wall of the old Limoeiro prison, a building that held political prisoners for much of the 20th century and now trains judges. Municipal archive photographs show it already a substantial adult tree by 1910, which would put its real age closer to 115 years than the 100 usually quoted. Ombú wood is famously soft and fire resistant, of no real use to carpenters, which may be exactly why this one survived when more useful trees nearby did not. It stands a few steps from the Portas do Sol viewpoint, one of the finest views over the Alfama rooftops to the river, though most visitors walk straight past its swollen trunk toward the railing. True to its local nickname, bela-sombra, beautiful shade, it still throws excellent cover over an otherwise unremarkable stretch of pavement.