Medroneiro, carqueja and tojo
Vive Cabeceiras · Nomes comuns usados na fonte

Between the trees and the fields there is another landscape to discover.

Medronheiro, carqueja, tojo and madresilva appear in the municipal description of the mountain vegetation. The source also associates the altitude forests to the grazing of goats, cattle and sheep, distinguishing them from the pastures cultivated below. Thus, the forest is part of a landscape of plants, animals and work. These common names are a starting point to know the vegetation, not an identification of each plant found. The municipal presentation relates this vegetation with changes of use: refers to the partial replacement of oaks, chestnut trees and forests by pine-bravo. Reading the landscape implies, therefore, asking also for what was planted and what has become. A green spot can gather stories of grazing, cultivation and forest. It begins by choosing a detail in the following readings: the stem of the carqueja, the thorns of the tojo, the flowering and the fruits of the medronho or the position of the madresilva on the edge of the forest. Each question brings the look closer without requiring that you already know how to identify all the plants.

Sources and context
Municipality — landscape and vegetation
https://www.cabeceirasdebasto.pt/turismo-locais-turisticos
Accessed: 2026-11-07

Editorial summary. The date of consultation is not the date of the facts.
Text and recipe, when available. Photos, activities and updates on the page:
https://vivecabeceiras.pt/en/descobrir/terra-viva/?leitura=matos#matos