Chestnut tree of Pumbariños

This ancient chestnut tree lives in a very special place known as the Souto de Rozavales (Rozavales Chestnut Grove). The grove is home to a large number of considerably large chestnut trees, all forming part of the life and history of Galicia. Chestnut trees have been used for food, to build tools and instruments, and as a foundation for houses since ancient times. In fact, the chestnut grove and the chestnut tree are known by the nickname of Castaño and Bosque de Pumbariños, a word that means construction or dwelling of a house.

With its impressive height and age, the Pumbariños chestnut tree literally eclipses its more than venerable and singular companions in the area. Its trunk is more than twelve metres long, making it the largest chestnut tree in Galicia and, with an age that some estimate at around 1,000 years, it is one of the oldest trees in Spain.

This remarkable specimen is a ‘landless chestnut tree’, since it belonged for generations to a single owner who did not own the land. The Chestnut Grove of Pumbariños (also called the Rozavales Chestnut Grove) was declared a Natural Monument in 2000 by the Xunta de Galicia and its owner gave the Chestnut Tree to the Xunta de Galicia in 2005 for conservation.


Tree data (2021):

Height (m): 16.80
Normal perimeter (m): 13.18
Canopy diameter (m): 18.8
Estimated age: over 500 years