The City Council of Valencia ha approved the removal of 729 trees of the species Lagunaria patersonicommonly known as ‘pica-pica’, after detecting that cause allergic reactions in the skin of some neighbors. This has been confirmed by sources from the Parks, Gardens and Natural Spaces area of ​​the Valencian Consistory to 20 minuteswho have also specified that their elimination will be progressive and they will be replaced with other “more suitable” species.
The ‘pica-pica’ were planted in some areas of the city of Turia between the 80s and 90s and, although initially they were considered appropriate, with the passage of time the Valencian Ministry has receiving complaints from residents of these streets due to cases of various dermatological reactions, because the flowers and fruits of these trees can cause urticaria upon contact with the skin.
In any case, the aforementioned sources have explained to this medium that these allergies “they are uncommon” and that cases of severe reactions “are exceptional.” However, they have assured that, although these types of incidents “are not widespread”, they do occur. justify the review of the state of the trees.
The roots, an additional problem
Another problem has been added to this situation, and that is that tree roots have begun to lift the sidewalks. One of the areas where residents suffer from this situation is Pintor Genaro Lahuerta street, in the Benimaclet neighborhood, and the City Council has already announced that it will remove the trees on October 1.
Thus, the Valencian City Council has decided act progressively to gradually remove each of the 729 trees between October and November, replacing them with new alternative species “that do not cause adverse effects” and adapt to each area according to their characteristics.
In fact, in other streets such as Doctor Moliner, located in the Mestalla area, this process already took place last year, when five trees were removed due to these problems.
The effects on the skin of the ‘pica-pica’ tree
As stated in the Virtual Herbari of the Western Mediterraneanhim, the Lagunaria patersoni They can reach up to 11 meters in height, their leaves are light green and their flowers are a showy pink color, similar to hibiscus flowers. Popularly, these trees are known as ‘pica-pica’ because their fruit is a capsule covered with stinging hairswhich can cause dermatological reactions.
Thus, dermatologist VÃctor Alegre de Miquel explains in the University of Valencia website Those affected by hives have small, itchy skin rashes. They can have a variable duration, from a few minutes to several hours, with periods of time in which they can vary in size and shape.
