Flora
The pine
Our camping site is a pinewood. The kind of this pine is pinus halepensis. He is most usual meridian Greece.
His trunk has erratic height and does not reach high. Its leaves are needles and grow in pairs. It blooms between March and May. During that period its pollen, in the form of a yellow dust, spreads like clouds with the least blow and it can cause irritations in allergic people.
It produces nuts and resin that are very flammable, as its dry leaves. For this reason the danger of fire is very high and camp fires are prohibited in the camp site.
The more usual threats to the pine are:
A) The caterpillars, that weave spidery nests among the branches where they hibernate. In this phase, we can cut the branches and burn him. Otherwise, if caterpillars grow in spring they eat the leaves.
B) The insect that causes the vamvakiasi, that is to say the excretion of white sweet substance, that when bees suck produce honey of bad quality. Its treatment is not easy.
Its wood is of medium quality and is used only in construction and in shipbuilding.
In antiquity people built the keel of boats with pine wood and used. According to Plutarch, all conifers - as the pine, were dedicated to Neptune. Also, it was the beloved tree of Goddess Rea, daughter of Sky and Gea, as it symbolized the link between the sky and the earth.
Rosmarinus officinalis
In ancient time, people burnt it in the sacrifices to grace the Gods, instead of Arabian incense. It was considered a gift from Venus. They also used it to decorate pictures of the Gods.
The cistus
It is a bush. Its flowers look like wild roses, but they are smaller. It is very common in Attica. It corps after a fire because its seeds crack in high temperature and with the aid of water is starts growing. It protects the ground from the erosion.
For this reason, people should not walk in burnt areas, to allow its growth and reforestation. From a certain type of cistus, comes out a resin that is used and today in the perfumery. In ancient time people used it as incense and also in making certain ointments. It was easy to collect it from the legs of the goats and from the bird of billy-goats. In Medieval times people used a leather comb to comb the bush. The resin stuck on it, so it was easy to collect.
In its roots grows a parasite the “wolf of cistus”, that ancient people used it in pharmaceutical. Helichrysum Theophrastus named it “chrysanthemum” and he considered that it had tranquilizing effects. Ancient people used to make coronaries for the statues. Ptolemaio, the king of Egypt put it on the statues of Gods. They are even called teardrops of Virgin Mary.
The yew
Is a species of oak, very usual in mountainous Greece, but also in low altitudes. Its very hard timber was used in carriage building. Its leaves are small and barbed. This however does not prevent goats from eating them, thus they do not have the chance to grow into a tree.
An insect that lives on its branches shapes red bumps, where people could find the red dye for their textiles and hair. Theseus, in his voyage to Crete to kill Minotaur, used cloths dyed of this. Also, Spartans dyed their martial clothing, to hide the stains of blood.
Pistacia lentiscus
It is a bush, very widely met in Greece. It can reach the height of 6 metres. Its resin is used in pharmaceutical. In Chios this resin has a special aroma, called Mastic, which is used in cosmetics, cooking and pastries since the Turkish occupation.
It blooms in the spring. Ancient people considered it as a symbol of mourning. According to Plutarch and Isiodus its roots were considered cheap food. They may be eaten anyway in high need.
SMILAX
Climbing plant, that is perplexed on bushes. Its leaves have the form of elongated heart with thorns around. It produces bunches of red nipples.
In the antiquity they used it along with other wild flowers to make coronaries for the feasts of Dionysus.
PIKRODAFNI
Arborescent bush, that grows on the banks of rivers and watercourses. It is also often planted along high ways.
It produces flowers of various colours, white, red and pink. It also produces a milky juice that is poisonous.
Our camping site is a pinewood. The kind of this pine is pinus halepensis. He is most usual meridian Greece.
His trunk has erratic height and does not reach high. Its leaves are needles and grow in pairs. It blooms between March and May. During that period its pollen, in the form of a yellow dust, spreads like clouds with the least blow and it can cause irritations in allergic people.
It produces nuts and resin that are very flammable, as its dry leaves. For this reason the danger of fire is very high and camp fires are prohibited in the camp site.
The more usual threats to the pine are:
A) The caterpillars, that weave spidery nests among the branches where they hibernate. In this phase, we can cut the branches and burn him. Otherwise, if caterpillars grow in spring they eat the leaves.
B) The insect that causes the vamvakiasi, that is to say the excretion of white sweet substance, that when bees suck produce honey of bad quality. Its treatment is not easy.
Its wood is of medium quality and is used only in construction and in shipbuilding.
In antiquity people built the keel of boats with pine wood and used. According to Plutarch, all conifers - as the pine, were dedicated to Neptune. Also, it was the beloved tree of Goddess Rea, daughter of Sky and Gea, as it symbolized the link between the sky and the earth.
Rosmarinus officinalis
In ancient time, people burnt it in the sacrifices to grace the Gods, instead of Arabian incense. It was considered a gift from Venus. They also used it to decorate pictures of the Gods.
The cistus
It is a bush. Its flowers look like wild roses, but they are smaller. It is very common in Attica. It corps after a fire because its seeds crack in high temperature and with the aid of water is starts growing. It protects the ground from the erosion.
For this reason, people should not walk in burnt areas, to allow its growth and reforestation. From a certain type of cistus, comes out a resin that is used and today in the perfumery. In ancient time people used it as incense and also in making certain ointments. It was easy to collect it from the legs of the goats and from the bird of billy-goats. In Medieval times people used a leather comb to comb the bush. The resin stuck on it, so it was easy to collect.
In its roots grows a parasite the “wolf of cistus”, that ancient people used it in pharmaceutical. Helichrysum Theophrastus named it “chrysanthemum” and he considered that it had tranquilizing effects. Ancient people used to make coronaries for the statues. Ptolemaio, the king of Egypt put it on the statues of Gods. They are even called teardrops of Virgin Mary.
The yew
Is a species of oak, very usual in mountainous Greece, but also in low altitudes. Its very hard timber was used in carriage building. Its leaves are small and barbed. This however does not prevent goats from eating them, thus they do not have the chance to grow into a tree.
An insect that lives on its branches shapes red bumps, where people could find the red dye for their textiles and hair. Theseus, in his voyage to Crete to kill Minotaur, used cloths dyed of this. Also, Spartans dyed their martial clothing, to hide the stains of blood.
Pistacia lentiscus
It is a bush, very widely met in Greece. It can reach the height of 6 metres. Its resin is used in pharmaceutical. In Chios this resin has a special aroma, called Mastic, which is used in cosmetics, cooking and pastries since the Turkish occupation.
It blooms in the spring. Ancient people considered it as a symbol of mourning. According to Plutarch and Isiodus its roots were considered cheap food. They may be eaten anyway in high need.
SMILAX
Climbing plant, that is perplexed on bushes. Its leaves have the form of elongated heart with thorns around. It produces bunches of red nipples.
In the antiquity they used it along with other wild flowers to make coronaries for the feasts of Dionysus.
PIKRODAFNI
Arborescent bush, that grows on the banks of rivers and watercourses. It is also often planted along high ways.
It produces flowers of various colours, white, red and pink. It also produces a milky juice that is poisonous.