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I share in La Vanguardia’s Readers’ Photos these photographs taken in the Almudena civil cemetery in Madrid, in which you can see the beautiful purple tapestry formed by the leaves of the tree of love on the graves.
The cercis siliquastrum reminds us that, once again, spring has arrived. It is known as the “tree of love” because its leaves have a defined heart-shaped shape and the pink color gives it a very romantic appearance.
Now, it is also known as “Judas tree” because it was popularly associated with the tree on which Judas Iscariot hanged himself, although this may be a misinterpretation, since the name comes from “Judean tree”, which is where it is from. original.
This deciduous tree between 4 and 6 meters is covered in pretty pink flowers in spring that, strange as it may seem, are edible in salads or fritters, with a spicy taste.
The Almudena Cemetery (officially, Nuestra Señora de la Almudena) occupies an area of ??120 hectares, becoming the largest cemetery in Western Europe and housing more than 5 million bodies (more than those living in the Metropolitan Area of Madrid).