Transcript Διαφάνεια 1

The flora of Greece!
Ελιά - Olea
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The olive is a species of
small tree in the family Oleaceae,
native to the coastal areas of the
eastern Mediterranean
Its fruit, also called the olive, is the
source of olive oil.
Olive used to be the symbol of the
ancient Greek goddess Athena.
The olive thrives in temperate
climates without extreme
temperatures (with an average
annual temperature of 16oC) and
humidity, so it is widespread in the
Mediterranean area (such as Greece,
Italy, Spain, Turkey, Algeria and
elsewhere).
Depending on the variety and
quality of the land, distance
between rows ranges from 7 to 20
meters.
Μαστιχόδενδρο - Pistacia lentiscus
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The mastic tree, the lentisk, is an
evergreen leafy shrub , that belongs
to the family of turpentine
(Terebinthus lentisca Chia).
It can reach the height of 3 meters.
It has spreading branches and light
or dark gray trunk, depending on its
age.
It grows throughout the
Mediterranean, from the Iberian
Peninsula and France to Turkey and
Israel.
On the island of Chios a special
variety of lentisk is cultivated, the
mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus var.
Chia), from which a natural resin or
gum is extracted.
Πλατάνι - Platanus Orientalis
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Platanus is a species of trees native
to the northern hemisphere.
They are big trees whose height
ranges from 30 to 50 meters.
These trees are deciduous (except
the species P. kerrii).
Platanus trees are found along
riverbanks and in wetlands in
general, but they can survive
drought as well.
Platanus Orientalis is known by the
name plane tree in Europe , while in
North America is known by the
name sycamore.
The plane tree is pollinated by the
wind and as the flowers mature,
they become spherical fruit.
Inside the young trees’ trunk exist
large amounts of water making it
easy to bark. On the contrary, the
trunk of older trees lacks water and
is harder to bark than to break.
Κουκουναριά - Pinus Pinea
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Umbrella pine is a pine-tree native
to Southern Europe in the
Mediterranean region.
The pine-tree has been cultivated
for its edible seeds since prehistoric
times.
The Umbrella pine’s height varies
between 12-20 meters
It looks like an umbrella and it has
a short trunk and round flat top.
The bark is thick, reddish brown,
deeply etched by wide, vertical
plates.
It has flexible needle leaves in
bundles of two, 10-20 cm long.
Young trees ‘ leaves are different, 24 cm long with see-green color.
The origin of pine are Portugal,
Spain and North Africa (when the
climate was once more humid).
Ιτιά Λευκή (αγριοϊτιά) - Salix alba
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In Greece main and most common
species of Willow is the white
willow (Salix alba).
The tree is called white willow,
because of the white shades on its
trunk.
The trees are mostly found near
rivers, streams or creeks.
All species ‘ s leaves are narrow, the
flowers are pendent inflorescences
and their seeds have long silky hair.
The bark of willow is used in
tanning, while from the bark of
some species a substance called
salicin glycoside is extracted and is
used in pharmacy.
It’s height can easily reach 20
meters after 15 years of slow and
steady growth.