Flora of Mt Pelion

Pelion is covered by a lush vegetation, both at low and medium altitudes. From the botanic science point of view, however, the flora of Pelion has not been studied systematically as a whole. A composition of the hitherto known elements raises the diversity of the flora of the area to 620 species and subspecies of plants, a number that although not impressive, shows the relevance of Mt Pelion within the wider biogeographical region.
Obviously, the lack of large limestone formations and the absence of the higher elevation zone, which contributes to the biodiversity of the large mountain mountains, explain this modest number.

From the hiker point of view, however, the explosive Spring of Mt Pelion offers a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the plants of the Mediterranean zone. Phryganic ecosystems and extensive shrubs hide an impressive diversity of orchids, while the rocks and precipices of South Pelion host many bulbous plants.

Autumn is usually mild and gives the yellow lilies the opportunity to decorate the paths and the old estates. In the meadows and rocky slopes, Autumn looks like a second Spring, as it unfolds cyclamen (Cyclamen graecum), autumn crocuses and colchicums, such as the striking Colchicum bivonae.

Greek endemics found in Mt Pelion

Mt Pelion hosts a local endemic supspecies, Soldanella chrysosticta susbp. pelia, a plant hard to see and rare, with beautiful purple flowers, growing in permanently wet places in shady beech forests.

Furthermore, Mt Pelion hosts 23 Greek endemics, 26 Balkan sub-endemics, namely species and subspecies appearing only in the Balkans and one more neighboring area.

In the following list, all Greek endemic species and subspecies discovered in Pelion:

#	Taxon	Habitat
1	Alkanna graeca ssp. baeotica	Stony slopes and rocks, subalpine meadows. From 1100 to 1600μ m
2	Berberis cretica	Stony terrain. From 800 to 1500 m
3	Campanula incurva	Limestone rocky slopes. Up to 1000m
4	Centaurea pelia	Forest openings, bushes. From 300 to 1400m
5	Cerastium candidissimum	Stony slopes and rocks. From 700 to 1600m
6	Chondrilla ramosissima	Lowland stony slopes, abandoned fields, phrygana
7	Crepis hellenica	Old estates, dry fields. Up to 700m
8	Cyclamen graecum	Limestone rocky slopes. Up to 1300m
9	Dianthus haemetocalyx ssp. pruinosus	Stony slopes, phrygana
10	Dianthus corymbosus	Stony slopes, phrygana. From 100 to 900m
11	Ebenus sibthorpii	Stony slopes, limestone peaks. From 300 to 1100m
12	Erysimum microstylum	Stony slopes, limestone rocks, phrygana. From 600 to 1300m
13	Euphorbia deflexa	Stony slopes, dry fields. From 100 to 1300m
14	Malcolmia graeca ssp. hydraea	Stony slopes, rocks. Up to 800m
15	Nigella arvensis ssp. aristata	Lowland stony slopes, abandoned fields, phrygana
16	Odontites linkii	Stony slopes, road slopes. From 300 to 1500m
17	Petrorhagia armerioides	Stony slopes, abandoned fields, phrygana. From 100 to 1300m
18	Pterocephalus perennis ssp. perennis	Stony slopes, rocky places. From 400 to 1500m
19	Scorzonera crocifolia	Stony slopes, abandoned fields and olive groves. Up to 800m
20	Silene linoides	Limestone rocks, ravines
21	Soldanella chrysosticta subsp. pelia	Dump places in the forest. From 1100 to 1250m
22	Verbascum mallophorum	Stony slopes, forest openings. From 500 to 1600m
23	Veronica chamaedrys ssp. chamaedryoides	Bushes, stony slopes, meadows. From 600 to 1100m

Coastal flora on Mt Pelion

Mt Pelion is characterized by the endless coastline of an already long peninsula, which is further extended by the extremely lacy shores and the rough end of the rocky slopes.
This coastal zone is largely inaccessible and has not been affected by man-made factors, while even the beaches maintain a high degree of naturalness. This zone is home to many plant species, adapted to the salinity of the soil or to the constant spraying of seawater.

Common and wide spread in Pelion area, the Rock samphire (Crithmum maritimum) is quite frequent in rocky and sandy beaches throughout Greece and the entire Mediterranean. A perennial creeping plant species, it spreads its numberous stems and succulent leaves, which are collected and consumed boiled or raw. The buds of the Caper bush (Capparis spinosa), before the full flower development, are collected and used in cooking.

Alien plants species on Mt Pelion

In his long historical course, man has affected the distribution of many plant species, sometimes on purpose and sometimes unintentionally. The first case refers to species used as food, for the production of cloth, species with medicinal, aromatic or ornamental value, just to mention only some of the uses that man has for plants. In the second case, many species have expanded their area of distribution without the will of man, like for instance in the case of weeds, that were indeliberately imported as seeds with food or inside other packages and colonized new areas. In many cases, both the first and the second, they established viable populations, where they found favorable conditions and are now part of the physiognomy of their new biotopes.

The Sentry plant (Agave americana) is one of the commonest alien plants in Greece. Its natural area of distribution is in Mexico and some southern US states, like Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. It produces a large rosette with large, succulent, spiny leaves with a green-glaucous color. It is a monocarpic species, flowering only once in its lifetime and then dying, but only after it has produced an impressive inflorescence, the axis of which reaches up to 9 m in height. Attached to it are the numerous yellow flowers. The Barbary fig (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a low, mutli-stemmed cactus with leaves transformed into spines and succulent, green stems that have undertaken the role of photosynthesis. On top of them, numerous yellow flowers develop, which turn into tasty prickly pears.
The popular fruit has exported the Barbary fig to almost all warm areas of the planet, like the ones with mediterranean type of climate. In Mt Pelion, it is abundant in rocky places and barren fields.

Text: G. Poulis
Photos: T. Adamakopoulos