Plane trees are an iconic element of spring in Barcelona, but they also pose a problem for people allergic to their pollen. These trees, the most abundant in the Catalan capital, cause symptoms such as sneezing and itchy eyes. In response to this situation, the Barcelona City Council has set a goal that by 2027, plane trees will constitute only 15% of the total over 206,000 trees in the city.

The highest concentration of these trees is found in the districts of Sant Martí and, particularly, the Eixample. This distribution dates back to the urban development of these areas following the Cerdà plan, when plane trees were the predominant species in urban planting, a trend shared with other major European cities like London or Paris. This explains their presence around the Sagrada Família and other parts of the Eixample.

An old photograph, dated 1908 and recovered by the profile Catalunya Color, reveals the longevity of some of these specimens. The image, by French photojournalist Charles Chusseau-Flaviens, shows the area of Carrer de Mallorca in front of the Sagrada Família. It features a shepherd with a flock and several plane trees. The stakes used to keep them upright and their height suggest they were planted shortly before the photograph, with their age estimated at least 118 years.