trip to Cyprus -november 2009

[krisderaeymaeker]

There is a photo in "Cyprus Flora in Colour - The Endemics" of O. troodi, but it is a rather poor photo.  It reports the height as 15-20 cm, flowers yellow, rocky slopes in serpentine, 1600-1950 m altitude... status: Strictly protected.  Reginald Farrer writes about O. troodi "from the crevices of Troodos in Crete, is a twin to O. nanum in minute habit, but has even smaller leafage (not rough, but clad in tighter-ironed downy hairiness), and very much smaller yellowish flowers huddled in a head".
By the way, what is the little silver-leafed plant just to the upper right of of the Onosma troodi foliage?  Looks like an Alyssum, or maybe a Helichrysum?

Mark I think this Onosma only reaches that height when in flower ,otherwise its growing flat to the ground.
You even must look carefully when they are not in flower ...
Protected , I can understand because there are not many on the locations where we found it.
I must have a better picture from our trip in 1999 ,but this is not a digital one ....It is a slide (I don't know how you call it )

The grey/silver one is Alyssum troodi wich is very common in this area.They where flowering in june during our visit in 1999. 

[TheOnionMan]

Mark I think this Onosma only reaches that height when in flower ,otherwise its growing flat to the ground.
You even must look carefully when they are not in flower ...
Protected , I can understand because there are not many on the locations where we found it.
I must have a better picture from our trip in 1999 ,but this is not a digital one ....It is a slide (I don't know how you call it )

The grey/silver one is Alyssum troodi wich is very common in this area.They where flowering in june during our visit in 1999. 

To add to the discussion of plants seen in Cyprus, I scanned a page from "Cyprus Flora in Colour, The Endemics" by V. Pantelas, T. Papachristophorou, P. Christodoulou, to show a photograph of endemic Alyssum troodi pertinent to this discussion.  There are two other endemic low-elevation Alyssum species too, A. akamasicum & A. chondrogynum.  Alyssum troodi looks like a good species for a rock garden.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Alyssum troodi looks like a good species for a rock garden.

I agree that it must be  very good and usefull for our rockgardens.
I haven't tried it yet. It think it is happy under  screeconditions , in raised beds and in dry/hot gardens .
I try to grow Alysum caespitosum at home ,don't know yet how this one comes through our cold winter ?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

A very nice one indeed - almost like a good eriogonum ! 

[krisderaeymaeker]

I  have seen also  a Colchicum in the Troodos mountains,it  was not in flower at that moment and has already his leaves. I suppose this was Colchicum troodi ?
My brother -who travelled with us- remained  one week longer in Cyprus and was fortunate to see another Colchicum .(on lower elavations)
I ask him a copy of his picture so I can post this one to in the near future.   
I know he did also see a georgous persicum ,and for this you have to wait another moment.

[TheOnionMan]

I  have seen also  a Colchicum in the Troodos mountains,it  was not in flower at that moment and has already his leaves. I suppose this was Colchicum troodi ?

Kris, Colchicum troodi does not appear in my little book of plants endemic to Cyprus, but it seems C. troodi has a broader distribution even if originally named (I'm assuming) for its occurence in the Troodos area.  Found a good link here, with some very good photos of the plant occuring in Israel.  Looks like a rather good species.  PS:  The google toolbar translate feature is useful on the link below.

http://flora.huji.ac.il/browse.asp?action=specie&specie=COLTRO

[krisderaeymaeker]

I  have seen also  a Colchicum in the Troodos mountains,it  was not in flower at that moment and has already his leaves. I suppose this was Colchicum troodi ?

Kris, Colchicum troodi does not appear in my little book of plants endemic to Cyprus, but it seems C. troodi has a broader distribution even if originally named (I'm assuming) for its occurence in the Troodos area.  Found a good link here, with some very good photos of the plant occuring in Israel.  Looks like a rather good species.  PS:  The google toolbar translate feature is useful on the link below.

http://flora.huji.ac.il/browse.asp?action=specie&specie=COLTRO

Very useful link Mark ,good pictures to .This time also pictures from the leaves (this is not the case in many    occasions)I wil compare the pictures with what we saw overthere and what I noticed...
Come back on this item..

[Maggi Young]

I  have seen also  a Colchicum in the Troodos mountains,it  was not in flower at that moment and has already his leaves. I suppose this was Colchicum troodi ?

Kris, Colchicum troodi does not appear in my little book of plants endemic to Cyprus, but it seems C. troodi has a broader distribution even if originally named (I'm assuming) for its occurence in the Troodos area.  Found a good link here, with some very good photos of the plant occuring in Israel.  Looks like a rather good species.  PS:  The google toolbar translate feature is useful on the link below.

http://flora.huji.ac.il/browse.asp?action=specie&specie=COLTRO

For English Speakers the site has an English Language button, top left of the page..... that's even more useful.

[Diane Clement]

Kris, Colchicum troodi does not appear in my little book of plants endemic to Cyprus, but it seems C. troodi has a broader distribution even if originally named (I'm assuming) for its occurence in the Troodos area.  Found a good link here, with some very good photos of the plant occuring in Israel.  Looks like a rather good species.  PS:  The google toolbar translate feature is useful on the link below. 

The classification of C troodi has undergone some change recently.  The Turkish form is now called Colchicum decaisnei, and I think that includes the form from Israel as in the link as it gives the synonym C decaisnei.  So perhaps C troodi is just endemic to Cyprus? 
In cultivation, I found C decaisnei to be a rather smaller and more delicate species than C troodi

[krisderaeymaeker]

Kris, Colchicum troodi does not appear in my little book of plants endemic to Cyprus, but it seems C. troodi has a broader distribution even if originally named (I'm assuming) for its occurence in the Troodos area.  Found a good link here, with some very good photos of the plant occuring in Israel.  Looks like a rather good species.  PS:  The google toolbar translate feature is useful on the link below.  

The classification of C troodi has undergone some change recently.  The Turkish form is now called Colchicum decaisnei, and I think that includes the form from Israel as in the link as it gives the synonym C decaisnei.  So perhaps C troodi is just endemic to Cyprus?  
In cultivation, I found C decaisnei to be a rather smaller and more delicate species than C troodi

Diane ,this is also what I found ,so it is probably  C troodi ...
Far as I know there are 4 species stated for Cyprus : pusillum ,troodi,stevenii,hiemale .
But hiemale is maybe a synonym ? I think that pusillum ,stevenii have smaller leaves? and grow not at that height (Troodos mts ).So by elimination and  pending on more observations or input from other specialists I keep it by troodi .

[Diane Clement]

But hiemale is maybe a synonym ?

Kris, yes, C hiemale is a synonym for C pusillum

[TheOnionMan]

Mark I think this Onosma only reaches that height when in flower ,otherwise its growing flat to the ground.
You even must look carefully when they are not in flower. Protected , I can understand because there are not many on the locations where we found it. I must have a better picture from our trip in 1999 ,but this is not a digital one ....It is a slide (I don't know how you call it ).

Doing some research trying to find an ID on two Onosma species (http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4840.0) I came across a reference in Reginald Farrer's The English Rock Garden to Onosma mite that comes from Lycia and Cyprus.  Checking IPNI.org, that species name should be O. mitis.  Described by Farrer: "makes masses of soft wool, as its name declares, and the masses are but 2 inches high, while the erect-lobed yellow blossoms are borne in heads on stems of seven or nine.  This will require cherishing, as its home is in the hot pine-stretches of Lycia and Cyprus."    Kris, have you seen this one?  There is another endemic, O. fruticosum, I uploaded a scan from Cyprus Flora in Colour, The Endemics, to add to the discussion.  This species grows from sea level to 1100 m.

Some photo links here:
http://www.biolib.cz/en/taxon/id456294/
http://www.biolib.cz/en/taxonimage/id47525/?taxonid=456294

[cohan]

more great stuff!
kris--i agree, seed collecting is a difficult business-i have started doing it in my own area, where i can try to go back repeatedly to the same sites to find particular plants, but still sometimes dont catch things at the right time; i am doing a little collecting in the foothills/mountains also (cannot collect at the high places, all are protected, and if there is a permit system, i have not yet found it!) and some spots i have been lucky to go back when i can find a plant in seed that i saw in flower, but to choose special individuals is not possible!

the onosma is very nice--reminds me of succulent plecranthus species..
the geastrum is interesting, i'm not even sure what i am seeing, will have to look it up!...

[krisderaeymaeker]

Mark , did see only Onosma troodi  during our trip in november.But the main target was Cyclamen cyprium, persicum and the high places on Mt Olympus.The period  of our visit  was only one week ,I am sure you can botanize much longer overthere and see a lot more.Maybe we did see those other Onosma's in 1999 but for that I have to search in my slides (and since there is the digital photo ...).
On the other hand it is interesting to know ,maybe I return to Cyprus once as it has a lot more to show in other seasons. 

Cohan , I am also a succulent-lover so I can understand your choices.
I started my cacti and succulent collection in 1984 .
The geastrum ,I have no idea.It was even the first time to see this one.   

[krisderaeymaeker]

Of course Cyprus is also very good for archaeological things...
Few examples and pictures. First two :tombs of the kings   
Other two ,archaeological site of Paphos with famous mosaics.