Photo: Jordi Gili (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Plane of the Riera de Gaia Square
Photo: Jordi Gili (CC BY-SA 4.0)See it at full size

The Plane of the Riera de Gaia Square

SpainTarragonaLa Riera de Gaia

Agenot recorded
SpeciesLondon Plane

This tree is the square. La Riera de Gaia is a small town inland from the coast north of Tarragona, and the plane standing in its Placa de la Vila takes up most of it, which is the way these things went in Catalan villages: a plane was put in the square because it grows fast, casts dense shade by June and can be pollarded hard every few years without complaint, and then it outlived the reason and became the thing the square is named for. Catalonia declared it a monumental tree in 1992, which makes cutting it illegal. It is one of the trees selected for the book Arboles singulares de Espana, where it takes a two-page spread. The register lists it as being in normal condition and puts it at 23 metres tall, but gives no trunk girth at breast height, so this page cannot tell you how thick it is, only that Catalonia thought it worth protecting and that a national survey of Spain's singular trees agreed. If you have measured it, tell us.

The tree's year
now JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

The line is our estimate of how much there is to see, not a measurement. Typical for this species where this tree stands; exact weeks shift with the year.

Placa de la Vila, La Riera de Gaia 43762, TarragonaYou can recognise it as the tree that fills most of the village square, a pollarded plane declared a monument in 1992. It stands in the Placa de la Vila, La Riera de Gaia.

Free, in the public square in the middle of the village

About 11 km northeast of Tarragona, roughly 15 minutes by car

Sources

Where the facts on this page come from.

How we choose and check trees

Nearby trees

Discover more

Open in the app

Collect The Plane of the Riera de Gaia Square

Take a photograph to add it to your trees.

Delete this photo?

It leaves your trees. If it is already on the tree's page, it stays there.

Open directions in

Over 3,600 old trees worth the walk

Get Ancient Trees on the App Store

There is no Android app yet. Leave your email and we'll let you know the day there is one.

Scan this with your phone to open it there.

Open in the app

Scan this with your phone to open it there.

Keep your trees on every device