Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Tony Willis on May 18, 2010, 08:15:27 PM
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I have just returned from 10 days mainly in the north of Greece visiting Vermion,Kymachalan and Olympus with a final day in the south on Parnassus. A couple of flowerless days were spent near Serres close to the Bulgarian border a bad choice. It has been a dry spring after a cold winter but there were still late snowpatches on all the mountains.
Starting with Vermion in the woods at lower level and moving to the higher parts.
Cephelanthera longifolia
Helleborus cyclophyllus in fruit
Orchis purpurea
Ramonda nathaliae
Orchis sambucina
Ornithogalum oligophyllum
Viola graeca three forms
Gentiana verna
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At the highest part the Crocus cvicii were still in flower
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I was just enjoying the little faces of the violas..... then come Crocus!! yippee! I didn't think you still get some in flower.... hurrah! ;D
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Maggi you have no idea how much effort was required to see those,I crawled the last few hundred feet!
Next I moved on to Kymachalan. Still a lot of snow at the top but no flowers lower down.Hit the crocus just right .The violas grow on the higher dry ground and then there is a large bowl with different habitats. Much of the area is a large vernal lake with higher areas slightly drier areas.
Viola graeca in two forms showing the numbers of each and a close up. The different colour forms on the whole grow separately but do mix on occasions.
Caltha sp growing in a stream
Crocus veluchensis which grows in the drier ground
Crocus pelistericus a two general views and one of a clump showing them growing in water and finally a white one.
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At the highest part the Crocus cvicii were still in flower
Maggi you have no idea how much effort was required to see those,I crawled the last few hundred feet!
Next I moved on to Kymachalan. Still a lot of snow at the top but no flowers lower down.Hit the crocus just right .Crocus pelistericus a two general views and one of a clump showing them growing in water and finally a white one.
Tony as you know we were planning to go to Greece this year but unfortunantely this was not possible so it's nice of you to give us a show of what we missed. Thanks
Crocus pelistericus white form ?? I myself am looking for the red gentian sino ornata ::)
Oh and please keep the piccies coming!!
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Tony, I am quite sure we are all thankful for your dedication in enduring such difficulties to share these treasures with us...... :)
I am entranced by the fields of violas..... would these types be suitable for later flower in a crocus lawn in "captivity" do you think?
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THanks for the virtual trip. Is there more to come?
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Maggi I think the violas would succeed,I did not bring back any cuttings and too early for seed so that is for somebody else to do.
Mark I will move on to the rest of the trip hopefully in the next couple of days
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I'll be looking forward to that Tony !
A wonderful tour you've given us so far !! :D ;)
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Moving
on to Olympus the lower gorge was hot and dry and the jankaea were nearly over and so I have included a picture from my last visit. Those on the mountain proper were only in the earliest bud.
The road to the start of the walk up at Prioni is through dry mixed forest but once on the main walk it is lush and wet up to the alpine zone with many woodland plants.It was raining there, the only rain of my trip. I was only able to walk up for a couple of hours as the path was blocked with fallen trees and snow and does not open fully until the beginning of June.
Jankaea heldreichii in lower gorge
then on the way to Prioni
Thymus sp
Verbascum sp
walking in the woods a super euphorbia
Euphorbia heldriechii
Doronicum columnae
Dentaria bulbifera
Convallaria majalis
Fritlillaria messanensis
and many wonderful ferns
Polypodium vulgare
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hi toni, it seems like tymus pulvinatus
chris
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Chris
that is not one I know and I cannot see it listed in my only reference 'Wild Flowers of Mount Olympus' which is of course quite old and it may have been renamed.
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My last couple of days were near Parnassus where it was very hot 31c. No problems with the riots or the ash so an uneventful trip.
On the way up growing in the cement used to bind the cliffs was a
Campanula sp
and further up in the lower woodlands in a ditch what I took to be
Orchis sambucina.
The higher slopes were burnt dry but there were some late snow patches and these had a variety of plants around them.
Lamium sp
Iberis sp
Doronicum ? sp
Corydalis solida
Crocus sieberi
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tony
i found in net,the same thymus on mount olympus, as thymus spec.
here is the link
http://www.greekmountainflora.info/
chris
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Chris thanks for that.I had forgotten about that site which I used to do some research before my trip.
It is good and very useful.
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great stuff tony! esp love those violas and the jankaea! glad to hear the trip was without problems..
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For everyone who is interested in the mountain flora of Greece: you can join us on one of our tours in (northern)Greece, please visithttp://www.alpines-offroad.com/eng/index.htm (http://www.alpines-offroad.com/eng/index.htm) for all details.
The pictures show some of the highlights you might encounter on such a tour.
Regards, Klaas.