Guide to the Flora of the Enclosure of the Monastery of Tibães

The Monastic Enclosure of the Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães is a place where the history of the monastery can also be read through the natural landscape that shapes and inhabits it. Former agricultural fields, orchards, gardens, woodland and forested areas form a mosaic of land uses that reflects centuries of Benedictine life, structured by ora et labora, production and contemplation. Today, this approximately 40-hectare territory is recognised as an area of high floristic diversity, supporting 195 species of vascular plants belonging to 167 genera and 70 families. This richness includes endemic species of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as plants afforded protection under national and European legislation. The Flora Guide of Tibães is the result of a continuous process of inventory and documentation, ranging from the creation of a physical herbarium — developed through systematic collection, pressing and rigorous identification — to the design of an interpretive route that enables visitors to observe the species described in situ. Bringing together 50 representative species from the principal habitats of the Monastic Enclosure of the Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães, the guide provides, for each species, a morphological description, conservation status, habitat type, associated species and traditional uses. Aimed at those with an interest in nature, the guide combines scientific information with games and field-based activities, making each visit an opportunity for discovery and learning. More than a simple identification tool, it is an invitation to slow down, engage with the landscape and discover a living heritage that deserves to be known, cared for and protected.