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🇬🇷 The flowers of Greece

52 pages from Greece: its flowers, the things made with them and the places to see them, across 23 cities and regions.

Greece is home to a remarkable variety of flowering plants, shaped by its mountains, islands, and Mediterranean climate. The country boasts over 6,600 plant taxa, with many species found nowhere else. Maquis shrublands, evergreen oaks, and the rare Cretan date palm are among its botanical highlights.

  • Over 6,600 plant taxa grow in Greece.
  • More than 1,200 plant species are found only in Greece.
  • Maquis shrubland covers much of the land.
  • The Cretan date palm is native only to southern Greece and Crete.
  • Intensive land use has left only remnants of native forests.

The plant life of Greece

Greece’s plant life is shaped by its rugged landscape and varied climate, ranging from Mediterranean warmth to alpine cold. The country supports over 6,600 types of plants, including more than 1,200 species found only in Greece. Much of the land is covered in maquis shrubland, a dense, evergreen thicket typical of the Mediterranean, with species like evergreen oak, Greek strawberry tree, and bay laurel. Deciduous trees such as ash, elm, and maple also appear, especially in less arid regions. The flora reflects both European and Asian influences, a legacy of ancient land connections.

From region to region in Greece

Plant life changes noticeably across Greece. The islands and coastal areas are dominated by Mediterranean maquis, while the interior mountains host alpine species and forests. Crete and southern Greece are the only places where the Cretan date palm grows naturally. The Peloponnese and the Pindus mountains have their own mix of shrubs and deciduous trees, while cultivated land supports a range of introduced species.

Flowers to know in Greece

Greece is known for its high number of endemic flowering plants, including the Cretan date palm, which grows wild only in southern Greece and Crete. The Greek strawberry tree and evergreen oak are common in the maquis. The country shares many plant species with western Turkey due to their ancient connection. Some species, like the kermes oak and Spanish broom, are typical of the region’s shrublands.

Threats and protection in Greece

Intensive land use has reduced Greece’s native forests and shrublands to fragments. Many endemic species have limited ranges, making them vulnerable. Conservation efforts focus on protecting these unique habitats and the rare plants they support, especially in areas like Crete and the Aegean islands.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Wildlife of Greece", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Cities and regions of Greece

Crete 7Attica 2Karpathos 2Peloponnese 2Rhodes 2Athens 1Bassae 1Corfu 1Cyclades 1Delos 1Euboea 1Florina 1Kastoria 1Kato Nevrokopi 1Kilkis 1Mount Helicon 1Mount Parnassus 1Mt. Chelmos 1Olympia 1Pontokerasia 1Rhodopi mountains 1Skyros 1Thessaloniki 1
ShowFlowersDecorationsPlaces
ColourRedPinkOrangeYellowWhiteCreamBluePurpleGreenMaroonMany-coloured
KindWildflowerGarden flowerCut flowerFlowering treeFlowering shrubBulb flowerClimberOrchidWater flowerCactus or succulentAlpine flowerTropical flowerHerb or useful flower
In flowerSpringSummerMonsoonAutumnWinter
TulipTulipa Spring-blooming bulbs with showy, cup-shaped flowers in many colours 🇳🇱 Netherlands and 7 more · Wildflower Eucalyptus The tall, aromatic trees and shrubs known as gum trees or eucalypts 🇦🇺 Australia and 7 more · Flowering tree Narcissus Spring-flowering bulbs with trumpet-shaped blooms in white, yellow, and orange 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 7 more · Wildflower Bay laurelLaurus nobilis Evergreen tree with aromatic leaves used as bay leaf in cooking 🇬🇷 Greece and 9 more · Flowering tree Bitter orangeCitrus × aurantium The citrus tree behind Seville orange marmalade and Neroli oil 🇨🇳 China and 6 more · Flowering tree Common ValerianValeriana officinalis Tall, sweet-scented wildflower with pale pink blooms and a long history in herbal lore 🇮🇸 Iceland and 8 more · Wildflower Crocus Small corm-grown flowers in white, yellow, orange or purple 🇹🇷 Turkey and 7 more · Wildflower Horse-chestnutAesculus hippocastanum A large flowering tree known for its white spring blooms and shiny brown conkers 🇦🇱 Albania and 7 more · Flowering tree SnowdropGalanthus White bell-shaped flowers that bloom at the end of winter 🇹🇷 Turkey and 7 more · Wildflower Saffron crocusCrocus sativus The purple autumn flower whose red stigmas yield the spice saffron 🇨🇳 China and 1 more · Garden flower Strawberry-treeArbutus unedo An evergreen Mediterranean tree with white bell flowers and red, strawberry-like fruit 🇮🇹 Italy and 7 more · Flowering tree Early spider-orchidOphrys sphegodes A wild orchid with spider-like flowers found across Europe and the Middle East 🇪🇸 Spain and 6 more · Wildflower Grecian foxgloveDigitalis lanata A woolly-leaved foxglove of the Balkans, source of the heart drug digoxin 🇦🇱 Albania and 9 more · Wildflower Tenweeks stockMatthiola incana A fragrant garden flower in many colours, grown for beds and bouquets 🇪🇸 Spain and 4 more · Garden flower Common rueRuta graveolens A strong-scented Mediterranean herb with blue-green leaves and yellow flowers 🇱🇹 Lithuania and 8 more · Wildflower Colchicum hungaricum A rare early-spring flower of limestone slopes in Hungary and the Balkans 🇭🇺 Hungary and 5 more · Wildflower Paeonia peregrina A wild red peony native to southeastern Europe and Turkey 🇷🇴 Romania and 7 more · Wildflower Lilium rhodopeum A rare lily native to the Rhodopi mountains of Bulgaria and Greece 🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 1 more · Wildflower HaberleaHaberlea rhodopensis A rare Balkan flower that revives after years without water 🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 1 more · Wildflower Ramonda nathaliaeНаталијина рамонда A small Balkan flower that can survive drying out and revive with water 🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 more · Wildflower Paperwhite narcissusNarcissus papyraceus A white, fragrant daffodil from the Mediterranean grown indoors for winter bloom 🇬🇷 Greece and 3 more · Bulb flower Edraianthus A group of small blue-flowered perennials from the Balkan mountains 🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 6 more · Wildflower Greek cyclamenCyclamen graecum An autumn-blooming cyclamen with heart-shaped leaves from Greece and Crete 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 more · Wildflower Sieber's crocusCrocus sieberi A small wild crocus from the Balkans with vivid orange stamens 🇬🇷 Greece and 4 more · Wildflower Greek peonyPaeonia parnassica A rare, deep red peony found only in the mountains of Greece 🇬🇷 Greece · Wildflower Iris unguicularis A winter-blooming iris with lilac or purple flowers and evergreen leaves 🇩🇿 Algeria and 4 more · Wildflower Poppy anemoneAnemone coronaria Red, white, or blue Mediterranean flower with a dark crown centre 🇮🇱 Israel and 7 more · Wildflower Crocus cartwrightianus A small autumn-blooming crocus from Greece with vivid red stigmas 🇬🇷 Greece · Wildflower Ivy-leaved geraniumPelargonium peltatum A trailing plant with fleshy, lobed leaves and pale mauve to pink flowers 🇿🇦 South Africa and 7 more · Garden flower RockroseCistus Evergreen shrubs with papery flowers from the Mediterranean 🇪🇸 Spain and 3 more · Wildflower PaperwhiteNarcissus tazetta A tall, white-and-yellow narcissus grown for scent and indoor blooms 🇫🇷 France and 7 more · Bulb flower Poet's daffodilNarcissus poeticus A fragrant white daffodil linked to ancient Greek myth and poetry 🇪🇸 Spain and 6 more · Wildflower OliveOlea europaea Evergreen tree grown for its fruit and oil across the Mediterranean and beyond 🇪🇸 Spain and 7 more · Flowering tree Orange wild tulipTulipa orphanidea A copper-red wild tulip from the Balkans and western Turkey 🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 2 more · Wildflower Giant snowdropGalanthus elwesii A tall, early-blooming snowdrop from the Balkans and Asia Minor 🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 more · Wildflower SowbreadCyclamen hederifolium A hardy Mediterranean cyclamen with ivy-shaped, patterned leaves and autumn blooms 🇫🇷 France and 2 more · Wildflower Ophrys sphegodes subsp. tauricaՍարդակիր Մեղվակիր, xarı-bülbül, ფუტკრის-დედა A rare wild orchid from the Caucasus and nearby regions 🇦🇲 Armenia and 7 more · Wildflower Eichler tulipTulipa eichleri A rare deep red tulip from the Caucasus and Iran with a dark central blotch 🇬🇪 Georgia and 4 more · Wildflower Cotton thistleOnopordum acanthium Tall, spiny thistle with pink to lavender globe-shaped flowers 🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Wildflower Scarlet runner beanPhaseolus coccineus A climbing bean with bright red flowers and edible pods and seeds 🇲🇽 Mexico and 7 more · Wildflower

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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