2ND High school of Komotini

FLORA

IN RODOPI MOUNTAIN

RANGE,

THRACE

GREECE

FLOWERS

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”

Scabiosa rhodopensis

Lathraea rhodopaea

106 species which are endemic to the Rodopi area, such

as Lathraea rhodopaea,

Arenaria rhodopeae, Scabiosa

rhodopensis, Haberlea

rhodopensis, Lilium

rhodopaeum, Tulipa rhodopea. Fifty-five of these plant species are

listed in Europe as rare or

threatened.

The importance of the Rodopi mountain range is demonstrated by the fact that the region contains over 1,900 plant species. This plant diversity and the level of endemism must be seen as one of the best indicators of the uniqueness of the region.

Tulipa rhodopea

Κυκλάμινο Cyclamen / Cyclamen repandum

• Plant: Perennial with an underground tuber 4-12 cm diameter.

• Leaves: Rounded to triangular2-10 cm long and 2-7 cm broad with a pale silvery horseshoe-shaped mark round the middle of the leaf.

• Flowers: They are produced in whorls of 3-10, each one on a slender stem 3-12 cm tall with 5 united petals most commonly of pale pink.

• Cyclamen typically grow in dry forest or scrub where they are at least partly shaded from intense sunlight. The species vary greatly in winter frost tolerance.

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”

Ανεμώνα Anemone / Anemone coronaria

• Plant grows to 20-40 cm tall with a basal rosette of few leaves.

• Leaves have three leaflets and each leaflet is deeply lobed.

• Flowers – 3-8 cm diameter with 5-8 red, pink, purple, white or blue petals – are born singly with a whorl of small leaves just below the flower.

• Anemone is widely grown for its decorative flowers.

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”

• Scrub or tree: the mastic tree is evergreen also known as the lentisc.

• Leaves: dark green, leathery pinnate and distinctive for a lack of an end leaflet.

• Flowers: grow in dense panicles or spikes.The anthers are dark red for male flowers and greenish for female.

• It grows in sandy soil and dry rocky slopes.In the spring time, the lentisc shoots are cut and sold in local markets.The tree’s resin, mastic, is used for chewing gum.

Σχίνος – Pistacia lentiscus

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”

Σχίνος Lentisk / Pistacia lentiscus

• Vegetable which has been used from very early times as a culinary vegetable, owing to its delicate flavor and diuretic properties.

• In their simplest form, the shoots are boiled or steamed until tender and served with a light sauce

• White asparagus is very popular in Germany.

Σπαράγγι Asparagus / Asparagus officinalis

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”

• Plant: It grows to 1 m tall• Leaves: they can be purple-

tinged, if the crop is suffering from water stress.

• Flowers: Spikes of lilac-pink flowers are produced in mid summer

• The plant mint grows in moist, fertile soil in light shade.Dried peppermint leaf is used in herb teas and has antiseptic properties.

Μέντα Peppermint / Mentha piperita

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”

• Plant: Like other alpine species it grows on a north-facing rock wall, in small pockets of soil between the rocks.

• Flowers: They are like a tubular African violet in shades of pink or purple-lavender.

• It is a hardy member of the African violet family native to Greece and it needs well-drained soil. The plant is lovely for an alpine house as well.

Βιολέτα Haberlea / Haberlea rhodopensis

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”

• Plant: One of the most important herbs for the Ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans.

• Greeks used to scrub their tables with mint before eating.

• Mint is used in Mediterranean cuisine to season sauces, meat and wine.

• Flowers: It blossoms in the summer and it is collected in autumn

• It thrives in shadowy and cool places.

Δυόσμος

Mint / Menthe piperata-Pulegius

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”

• Shrub: It is a small and slender shrub which divided above into a number straight and slender branches.

• Leaves: They are opposite, sessile, three inches long, nearly linear, light green.

• Flowers: In terminal cylindrical spikes, arranged in whorls along young shoots.

• They yield an essential oil with very pleasant perfume.

Λεβάντα

Lavender / Lavandula vera

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”

Κρίνος της Ροδόπης

Rhodope Lily / Lilium rhodopaeun

• Lilium rhodopeum in habitat at Rhodope Mountains, especially in the area around Livaditis waterfall. It can be seen on the open forests. It is one of the most beautiful flowers in Thrace, endemic of the Greek and Bulgarian Rodopi mountain range. It is among the protected species.

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”

ΡίγανηOrigan / Origanum vulgare

• It is a perrenial herb, growing to 20-80 cm tall.

• Its leaves are opposite 1-4 cm long.

• The flowers are purple, 3-4 mm long, produced in erect spikes.

• Its name derives from the Greek origanon [ὀρίγανον]: oros [ὄρος] “mountain” + the verb ganousthai [γανοῦσθαι] “delight in”.

• It is an indispensable ingredient for Greek cuisine. Oregano adds flavour to the Greek salad and is usually used separately or added to the lemon-olive oil sauce that accompanies almost every fish or meat barbecues and some casseroles.

2nd High school of Komotini, “Woods and forests; a source of and a resource for life”