València's stately Ficus tree loses a branch

The nearly 50-year-old, 18-meter-tall specimen suffered the breakage of one of its major branches due to high temperatures.

Generic image of a large ficus tree with a broken branch on the ground.
IA

Generic image of a large ficus tree with a broken branch on the ground.

A specimen of Ficus macrophylla, nearly 50 years old and 18 meters tall, suffered the breakage of one of its major branches on Thursday afternoon.

Ficus trees are emblematic in València's urban gardens, forming part of the city's identity and included in the Catalogue of Monumental and Singular Trees of the Valencian Community, which boasts 2,439 protected specimens.
One of these specimens, located in the gardens of the València Public Library on Calle del Hospital, has suffered an incident. Planted in 1979, this nearly 50-year-old ficus has impressive dimensions: a canopy of 30 meters in diameter, 18 meters in height, and a trunk perimeter exceeding three meters.
On Thursday afternoon, one of its branches broke off, falling to the ground and startling passers-by. A witness, journalist Eugeni Alemany, shared images of the event, noting that there were no injuries.
The high temperatures appear to have affected this majestic ficus, which has provided shade and coolness for half a century.