Introduction
We follow straight along the GR, which we will leave once again after we've passed the charcoal kiln. If we went to our left we would take a shortcut back to the start.
We are now in a little square on the hill, surrounded by splendid specimens of the main bushes that have accompanied us along the walk.
Heather: (Erica Arborea). A bush with persistent, small, dark green leaves. It can grow up to 4m tall. It can be found in acid soils, in cork oak groves that have suffered alterations. Its wood is very hard and makes very good coal. The stumps, once slowly dried, make great tobacco pipes. It is currently dried and worked to make fences and visual screens.
Juniper: (Juniperus Oxycedrus). Also with persistent leaves, light green with two white lines on the underneath, small and pointy in shape. It can grow up to 7m tall. It adapts to all types of terrain, preferably on sunny slopes. Its wood is aromatic, easy to work with and rot-resistant. An oil with antiseptic properties is obtained by distilling the wood (the heart of the thickest trunks).
The strawberry tree: (Arbutus Unedo). This bush or small tree can grow up to 8m tall. With persistent, lance-shaped leaves around 10cm long and with finely serrated edges. It is known for its fruit. It bears berries that are red when ripe, about 2cm in diameter and sweet-tasting. It flowers in autumn, when the fruit from the previous year ripens. Like heather, it grows in holm oak groves that have suffered degradation, in all types of soil. "Unedo" means to eat just one, and it means you shouldn't eat too many fruits as they can give you a headache. In the past they were fermented to make alcoholic drinks. The wood is highly combustible and large amounts of coal can be obtained from the roots.