Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Gerdk on May 06, 2008, 06:02:51 PM
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Fortunately Cliff Booker visited the western part of the island - so although some images repeat some plants from his journey I hope the following pics will be a good addition to his beautiful show.
I stayed in Makrigialos at the southeast coast and made excursions mainly to the eastern end of Crete with a single western side-trip to the Lassithi plateau.
Here we go
1. Makrigialos harbour
2.- 4. Papaver - Chrysanthemum - Anchusa
5. Pallenis spinosa (syn. Asteriscus spinosa)
6. + 7. Lavatera bryonifolia
8. + 9. Glaucidum
Gerd
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Part 2
1. Sitia - at the north-east coast
2. - 5. Ebenus cretica - covering the hillsides
6. - 8. Gynandriris monophylla
9. Lilium (regale?) - very common in front of houses
10. Muscari spreitzenhoferi
Gerd
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I believe your yellow Asteraceae is Asteriscus
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Mark: see synonym
Part 3
1. Another site with Ebenus cretica
2. + 3. Campanula pelviformis
4. Chrysanthemum coronarium
5. + 6. Dracunculus vulgaris
7. Gladiolus italicus
8. Ipomoea species
9. a small Sedum
10. Iris (unguicularis) cretensis in the mountains near Thripti
Gerd
More later
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Lovely journey Gerd, thanks for posting the pics.
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Lovely indeed. Especially nice to see the gynandiris and Iris cretensis. I guess the cyclamen with it is C. creticum? I think the Ipomea is I. learii. Many thanks Gerd.
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Gerd,
Thanks for the great pictures of great plants.
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Very angry with myself. I could have bought Iris cretensis recently and didnt thinking of how big the I. unguicularis grows. Is it very small?
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Mark, Iris cretensis is not tiny but is MUCH smaller than I. unguicularis. You should certainly buy it if you have the chance. The leaves are shorter and much narrower, very tough, and the whole plant can look a bit scruffy due to the dying leaves which don't come away easily and should be trimmed annually (not pulled) or they tend to look like bits of string attached. But overall, it is a beautiful plant, quite rare in cultivation, and with exquisite markings as you see in Gerd's picture.
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Lesley, Mark,
The leaves of the plants which I saw had a height of less than 20 cm. Without flowers at first I thought it was some kind of grass.
Lesley,
Does this species flower regurlarly?
Gerd
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Wonderful images Gerd...you have, of course, made me feel very guilty about the delay in posting the remainder of my images from Spili in the west of the island...I will attempt to post them this week. Were temperatures as warm during your trip?
Can't wait to see the rest of your beautiful images. Many thanks for posting.
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I no longer have this iris, not for about 20 years in fact and I remember that although it flowered, it never flowered really well but that was probably due to lack of summer heat. I suspect it would like a good ripening of the rhizomes.
I've had seed under this name at least 5 times since I had the plant and twice it was straight I. unguicularis, the other times it was something like chrysographes x forrestii, so a few people seem to be confused about what they have. Sometimes it's listed as a subspecies of I. unguicularis but I prefer to keep the two separate. I'l love to have the genuine thing again.
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Nice to see Iris cretensis flowering. I have two forms of I. unguicularius and both are flowering now. I used to think I had a wierd form that just flowered out of season, but no, these are from different sources and are in different parts of the garden. So much for brightening up my Christmas day!!! Anyone have any cretensis divisions or a reliable winter-flowering form? ???
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Lovely indeed. Especially nice to see the gynandiris and Iris cretensis. I guess the cyclamen with it is C. creticum? I think the Ipomea is I. learii. Many thanks Gerd.
Lesley,
Sorry, it was late yesterday. So I didn't recognize the Cyclamen question.
Yes, it is Cyclamen creticum - some pics of this species will follow.
Gerd
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Thank you altogether for the kind remarks.
Cliff: Weather was fine. Starting with a maximum of more than 30 ° C, but later around 20 ° - 25 ° C. Sometimes windy but not too much. Only one day with some showers (27.04. = Greek Easter Sunday).
Gerd
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Good morning Gerd - great to have you back!
Many thanks for taking us to Crete with your wonderful photos :o
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Part 4
The following pics were made during a trip to Thripti, an ' Alm ' (alpine pasture)
near Aféndis Stavroménos -1476 m. Unfortunately I didn't see Tulipa cretica and T. saxatilis which are recorded for this area.
1. Another lover of alpine plants
2.+3. Cyclamen creticum
4. Onosma erectum
5. Euphorbia acanthothamnos
6. Campanula species
7. Gagaea graeca
8. Poppies
9. Chrysanthemum coronarium
10. Tragopogon porrifolius
Gerd
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Part 5
1. Chrysanthemum, Anchusa, Tragopogon
2. Chrysanthemum species small (not identified by me)
3. Hypericum ? amblycalix - shrubby
4. Ranunculus asiaticus - only white forms were seen
5. Ornitholagum creticum
6. Convolvulus oleifolius
7. Fumana ? arabica
8. near Cape Sideros - the very end was a military zone
9. + 10. Vai and Phoenix theophrasti
Gerd
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That's another place to visit for me, Gerd. (on the future-list, I'm afraid.)
Thanks for the beautiful pictures
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Anthony, though someone may know differently, as far as I'm aware, I. cretensis is strictly spring flowering. In I. unguicularis, the Algerian forms are generally earlier than forms from the northern Mediterranean. On the other hand, the Algerian forms are often thinner textured and so less weather resistant than others. You pays your money.....
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Great trip Gerd and super pictures
Lesley Iris cretensis is I believe still described as I unguicularis ssp cretensis though I agree with you it flowers in the spring unlike unguicularis - botanists ::). Here is a link to one I posted some time ago which I had had for longer than I care to mention http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=301.75 (http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=301.75). The plant obviously didn't like the wet summer last year and all but a fragment has rotted off. I am keeping my fingers crossed ;)
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Part 6
1. Hill with spiny brooms (Calicotome or Genista?)
2. Lassithi Plateau from the Zeus Cave (Dikteo Andro)
3. Gagaea graeca - Lassithi
4. Largest plane-tree of the Island at Krasi + much smaller - my wife Brigitte
5. Styrax officinalis in the mountains
6. Kapsa monastery near Makrigialos
7. Perovolakia Gorge - just beside the monastery
8. Nerium oleander - wild in the gorge
9. Gynandris monophylla again
10. Ophris ? scolopax ssp. heldreichii
Gerd
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And here is the rest
1. Turtle within the ruins of Zakros
2. Campanula spathulata
3. ancient Mosque in Ieropetra
4. Sunset near Makrigialos
5. - 7. shots from Knossos - made during a stressing one hour guided tour
8. made in the beginning
9. one day before leaving this wonderful part of the island
Two useful books for determination were
'Wild Flowers Of Crete' by Vangelis Papiomitoglou (2006) - the best one
'Wild Flowers Of Crete' by George Sfikas 1987
Gerd
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I think your Ophrys above is O. episcopalis Gerd?
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Very beautiful images Gerd...are you planning to return to Crete in spring 2009?
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Magnificent scenery, beautiful pix and wonderful plants Gerd ! :o
Thanks very much for the tour ! :D
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Wow Gerd, thanks a lot for this nice trip - I see I have to go there again :D
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I think your Ophrys above is O. episcopalis Gerd?
Thank you - indeed it looks like this species according a picture in the Papiomitoglou - book.
Very beautiful images Gerd...are you planning to return to Crete in spring 2009?
I thought about that but my wife said she would like to do an autumn journey to another place.
Thanks for the compliments to the others!
Gerd
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Beautiful botanical expedition! :o very good report.