Introduction
Topography[INLINE]
Habitats
The seasons
Bulbs
Endemics
Orchids
The author
Bibliography
Links
E-mail
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean with an area of 8306 sq. kms. The climate is Mediterranean with short cool winters followed by long, dry, hot summers. Precipitation falls mainly between November and March. Snow lies on the ground above 1400 m. between January and April.
A total of 1910 taxa (species, subspecies and varieties) of which 139 are endemic are to be found in Cyprus. This is a remarkably high number for such a small area and it reflects the range of habitats to be found on the island.
Cyprus is the result of the earth’s tectonic activity. It’s a piece of ophiolite (ocean crust) that has been uplifted as the African plate moved northwards and collided with the Eurasian plate. Originally the ophiolite was covered by a deep layer of sedimentary (calcareous) rocks, which have been eroded from the upper part of the mountain to expose the igneous rocks beneath.
Cyprus consists of two mountain ranges, the Troodos and the
Kyrenia. The Kyrenia range is composed of limestone and marbles,
while the Troodos is predominantly igneous with chalk covering
the lower slopes. In between lies the Measaoria plain composed
of sedimentary rocks (igneous, sands, gravel, chalk and gypsum).
[INLINE]Meikle (Flora of Cyprus) subdivides the island into seven botanical divisions (see map above). Of these region 1 is the Akamas peninsula, 2 the igneous Troodos massif, 3 the lowland Paphos and Limassol areas and 4 the lowland Larnaka and Famagusta areas. Region 4 is mostly cultivated land.
The Akamas peninsula in the north-west corner of Cyprus is an outcrop of the Troodos consisting of a mixture of igneous and calcareous rocks. Here you will find deep limestone gorges with a variety of plants such as Cyclamen cyprium, Centauria akamantis and others not expected to be found in such a lowland area. Alyssum akamasicum is an endemic found on serpentine rocks in this area.
Region 2, the Troodos massif (1960 m) consists of igneous rocks and can be separated into two areas with very different vegetation belts; the region from the coast up to 1500 m and the sub-alpine region 1500-1960 m. The highest part of the mountain (above 1500 m) is covered by snow from January to April while at sea level a mild Mediterranean climate prevails during the winter.
The zone above 1500 m. is characterised by sparse growth of Pinus nigra. The ground beneath the pines is covered with a variety of plants, many of which are endemic: Alyssum cypricum, Alyssum troodi, Arabis purpurea, Astragalus echinus ssp. chionistrae, Cephalorrhynchus cypricus, Crocus cyprius, Cynoglossum troodi, Euphorbia veneris, Nepeta troodi, Onosma troodi, Ornithogalum chionophilum, Ranunculus cadmicus ssp. cyprius, Scariola tetrantha, Scorzonera troodea, Scutellaria cypria and Teucrium cyprium. Some interesting orchids such as Cephalanthera rubra, Epipactis troodi, Epipactis condensata, Epipactis veratrifolia, Limodorum abortivum, Orchis anatolica ssp. troodi and Platanthera chlorantha ssp. holmboei also grow here.
The next zone down (0-1500m) is covered by Pinus brutia with Quercus alnifolia, the endemic oak, (also called the golden oak because of the colour of the underside of the leaves), Arbutus andrachne, Styrax officinalis, Cistus cretica and Cistus parviflora. Scattered among the Cistus are scented salvias-Salvia fruticosa and Salvia willeana, the endemic salvia.
Region 3 consists of various heterogeneous areas. To the north is the Limassol forest area, an area of serpentine bounded by chalk. The chalk runs from Lefkara to the east through Aphames just south of Platres and Ayios Nicholaos to Panayia in the Paphos district. This area too has its endemics such as Alyssum chondrogynum and here you will also find most of the lowland orchids, including the rarer Orchis punctulata and Orchis simia.
A variety of habitats are to be found in lowland areas. The most important of these are maquis, garigue and the special habitats of the river valleys, the salt lakes and the marshes. Garigue and maquis are terms used to describe the typical Mediterranean vegetation. Garigue is scrub-land with low growing herbs such as Thymus capitatus, Sarcopoterium spinosum and Cistus species. Maquis is used to describe land with higher growing plants such as Calycotome villosa, Ceratonia siliqua (carob), Genista sphacelata, Olea europaea, and Pistacia lentiscus.
Within region 3 the Akrotiri peninsula is a special area with a Salt lake and the Phasouri marshes. Ophrys argolica ssp. elegans, Ophrys kotschyi and Orchis palustris grow here.
Regions 5, 6, 7 and 8 which include the Kyrenia mountain range are inaccessible to Cypriots as the area is occupied by the Turkish army since the 1974 invasion.
In Cyprus and other countries with a Mediterranean climate late Autumn, Winter and Spring are the seasons when most plants flower. This is because few plants can withstand the fierce summer heat and the total lack of rain. In Cyprus the rains come sometime in October or November and the first plants start flowering then: Urginea maritima (sea squil), Colchicum troodi (autumn crocus) Crocus veneris (an endemic crocus), Cyclamen cyprium, Euphorbia dimorphocaulon, Scilla autumnalis, Muscari parviflorum, Narcissus tazetta, Narcissus serotinus, Spiranthes spiralis.
Winter is the main flowering time for many annuals, most of the orchids and plants such as Anemone coronaria, Asphodelus microcarpus, Calycotome villosa, Cyclamen persicum, Fagonia cretica, Gageas, Muscari, Ornithogallums and Romulea tempskyana. The sea shore is a good place to find plants in flower such as Anthemis rigida, Matthiola tricuspitata, Medicago marina, Silene coronata ssp. procumbens, and Senecio glaucus ssp. cyprius.
In early spring the fields are awash with Ranunculus asiaticus, the turban buttercup, yellow Chrysanthemum coronarium, Sinapsis alba and red Papaver rhoeas. Perennials such as Cistus creticus, Calycotome villosa and Ferula communis are in flower everywhere. On the higher peaks of the Troodos the first flowers of Crocus cyprius are to be found on the edge of the melting snow. Other endemics such as Arabis purpurea, Euphorbia veneris, Ranunculus cadmicus ssp. cyprius are also in flower during March-April. By May the lowlands have dried out but the plants of the high Troodos are now coming into flower: Alyssum troodi, Alyssum cyprium, Scutellaria cypria, Paeonia mascula.
The lowlands are completely dry now and the only plants that survive are thistles such Echinops spinosissimum. Many of the plants that started flowering in May on the higher slopes of the Troodos are still in flower in June. In addition to these look for Cephalorrhynchus cyprius, Dianthus cyprius ssp. troodi, Hypericum confertum ssp. stenobotrys, Scariola tetrantha, and Saponaria cypria. Some late orchids are also to be in flower at this time of the year: Dactylorhiza iberica and Epipactis veratrifolia in streams, Cephalanthera rubra and Epipactis troodi at high altitudes on Troodos.
[INLINE] The formation of a tuber, a corm, or a bulb is a common strategy amongst plants to survive the long dry summer protected under the soil from the desiccating heat. With the coming of the autumn rains the plants start to grow again and to flower. The best time to see many bulbs in flower is late autumn when you should see Colchicum troodi, Crocus veneris, Muscari parviflorum, Scilla autumnalis and Cyclamen cyprium.
Despite its small size Cyprus has 139 taxa (species, subspecies and varieties) of endemic plants. 86 of these are found on the Troodos range, 57 on the Kyrenia range and 35 in the Acamas peninsula. Our commonest endemic is Quercus alnifolia, an oak, to be found everywhere in the Troodos area above 800 m. Other endemics are Centauria akamantis, Colchicum troodi, Crocus cyprius, Cyclamen cyprium, Ophrys kotschyi, Ophrys lapethica, Orchis anatolica ssp. troodi, Orobanche cypria, Tulipa cypria.
In Cyprus there is hardly a season when one cannot find an orchid in flower. The warm, rather dry winters make for a much earlier season compared to the rest of the Mediterranean. The first orchids can be found in flower from the beginning of January near the Larnaka and Acrotiri salt lakes, and the coastal strip between Limassol and Paphos. The earliest plants to flower are Orchis saccata (O. collina) and Barlia robertiana followed by Ophrys argolica ssp. elegans, Ophrys flavomarginata and Ophrys transhyrcana.
These continue to flower during February and are followed by the rest of the Ophrys fusca complex, Ophrys kotschyi, Ophrys lapethica, Orchis morio ssp. libani (O. syriaca), Orchis punctulata and Orchis quadripunctata. During March orchids higher up in the hills start to flower. You should be able to find Orchis anatolica ssp. troodi, Orchis quadripunctata, Ophrys mammosa, Dactylorhiza romana and Barlia robertiana in flower at altitudes of 1000 m. By this time the later flowering orchids such as Orchis coriophora ssp. fragrans, Orchis sancta, Anacamptis pyramidalis Ophrys apifera, Ophrys bornmuelleri and Serapias are starting to flower near the coast.
By April the plains have started to dry out and the only places to find orchids are the hills. During April and May look at the limit of the chalk hills in the Limassol and Paphos districts, the top of the river valleys of the Xeros and the Dhiarizos. The lowland season is extended into May by Orchis palustris, found in marshy areas.
A little later in June Dactylorhiza iberica starts flowering in the streams high up in the Troodos mountains and in the pine forest you will find the saprophytic Limodorum abortivum. Epipactis species start flowering by the beginning of June with E. troodi, followed by E. veratrifolia, and E. microphylla. Later, in July Cephalanthera rubra is to be found in flower under the deep shade of Pinus nigra forest near Troodos as is Epipactis condensata. The season is completed by the late autumn flowering orchid Spiranthes spiralis (November/December) to be found under Pines in lowland areas up to 900 m.
When I was young I had a dream to create a botanic garden.
My dream came true when I realised that the whole of Cyprus is
a botanic garden. That dream however is in danger of being destroyed
by the wholesale development of Cyprus by hotel and property developers.
I (Yiannis Christofides) was born in Platres, Cyprus and studied
Chemistry at University College and Birkbeck College, London.
I returned to Cyprus to run the family hotel in Platres and to
take up botany.
Comments and questions on the flora of Cyprus are welcomed: e-mail (minerva@cylink.com.cy),
fax(-357-5-421731) , tel(-357-5-421075) or write to Yiannis Christofides,
Minerva Hotel, 4820 Platres, Cyprus.
H. Baumann, S. Künkele, Die wildwachsenden Orchideen Europas,
Kosmos-Verlag 1982
M. Blamey, C. Grey-Wilson, Mediterranean Wild Flowers HarperCollins
1993, ISNB 0 00 219901 7
K. P. Butler, Field Guide to the Orchids of Britain and Europe,
Crowood Press, 1991
Y. Christofides, Orchids of Cyprus, to be published, 2000
P. Delforge, Orchids of Britain and Europe, Collins Photo Guide,
1995
P.& J. Davies and A. Huxley, Wild orchids of Britain and Europe,
The Hogarth Press, 1988
Ch. Georgiades, Nature of Cyprus, ISBN 9963-7540-3-1
R. D. Meikle, Flora of Cyprus vol. 1 and vol. 2. Kew
G.& K. Morschek, Orchids of Cyprus, ISNB 3-00-000956-6
V. Pantelas, T. Papachristoforou, P. Christodoulou, The Endemics,
1993, ISBN 9963-7931-0-X
The endemic plants of Cyprus, Bank of Cyprus publication 1995,
ISBN 9963-42-052-4
The Royal Botanic Gardens,
Kew
Botanical Society
of the British Isles
Alpine Garden
Society
Flora and Fauna Preservation
Socitey
Internet Directory for Botany
The Minerva Hotel
Yiannis Christofides B.Sc., Ph.D., 19/12/98