The flora of Greece!

Ελιά - Olea The olive is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Its fruit, also called the olive, is the source of olive oil. Olive used to be the symbol of the ancient Greek goddess Athena. The olive thrives in temperate climates without extreme temperatures (with an average annual temperature of 16 o C) and humidity, so it is widespread in the Mediterranean area (such as Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Algeria and elsewhere). Depending on the variety and quality of the land, distance between rows ranges from 7 to 20 meters.

Μαστιχόδενδρο - Pistacia lentiscus The mastic tree, the lentisk, is an evergreen leafy shrub, that belongs to the family of turpentine (Terebinthus lentisca Chia). It can reach the height of 3 meters. It has spreading branches and light or dark gray trunk, depending on its age. It grows throughout the Mediterranean, from the Iberian Peninsula and France to Turkey and Israel. On the island of Chios a special variety of lentisk is cultivated, the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia), from which a natural resin or gum is extracted.

Πλατάνι - Platanus Orientalis Platanus is a species of trees native to the northern hemisphere. They are big trees whose height ranges from 30 to 50 meters. These trees are deciduous (except the species P. kerrii). Platanus trees are found along riverbanks and in wetlands in general, but they can survive drought as well. Platanus Orientalis is known by the name plane tree in Europe, while in North America is known by the name sycamore. The plane tree is pollinated by the wind and as the flowers mature, they become spherical fruit. Inside the young trees’ trunk exist large amounts of water making it easy to bark. On the contrary, the trunk of older trees lacks water and is harder to bark than to break.

Κουκουναριά - Pinus Pinea Umbrella pine is a pine-tree native to Southern Europe in the Mediterranean region. The pine-tree has been cultivated for its edible seeds since prehistoric times. The Umbrella pine’s height varies between meters It looks like an umbrella and it has a short trunk and round flat top. The bark is thick, reddish brown, deeply etched by wide, vertical plates. It has flexible needle leaves in bundles of two, cm long. Young trees ‘ leaves are different, 2- 4 cm long with see-green color. The origin of pine are Portugal, Spain and North Africa (when the climate was once more humid ).

Ιτιά Λευκή (αγριοϊτιά) - Salix alba In Greece main and most common species of Willow is the white willow (Salix alba). The tree is called white willow, because of the white shades on its trunk. The trees are mostly found near rivers, streams or creeks. All species ‘ s leaves are narrow, the flowers are pendent inflorescences and their seeds have long silky hair. The bark of willow is used in tanning, while from the bark of some species a substance called salicin glycoside is extracted and is used in pharmacy. It’s height can easily reach 20 meters after 15 years of slow and steady growth.