Calle de Alaterno

The alaterno that gives the street its name is a shrub of the Mediterranean scrubland, evergreen and hardy, also known in common speech as Italian buckthorn. It grows in the clearings of holm-oak and pine woods, in groves and stony slopes, wherever there is a little shade and moisture. It withstands drought, dry air and heat without flinching, and so is often planted as a hedge that keeps its leaves through the winter. Modest in stature, it rarely exceeds five metres. Its young trunk is smooth and grey; with the years it cracks and comes to resemble that of the holm oak. It bears discreet flowers and small black berries the size of a pea. The wood, heavy and even, served for turnery and tool handles, and from it was once drawn a charcoal prized for making gunpowder. The street belongs to the Chamartín district and runs through the Castilla neighbourhood, between calle de Mateo García and calle de los Hermanos Gómez, along a short stretch.