Greece May2010

[Tony Willis]

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

[Tony Willis]

At the highest part the Crocus cvicii were still in flower

[Maggi Young]

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! 

[Tony Willis]

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.

[ian mcenery]

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!!

[Maggi Young]

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?

[mark smyth]

THanks for the virtual trip. Is there more to come?

[Tony Willis]

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

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I'll be looking forward to that Tony !
A wonderful tour you've given us so far !! 

[Tony Willis]

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

[christian pfalz]

hi toni, it seems like tymus pulvinatus

chris

[Tony Willis]

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.

[Tony Willis]

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

[christian pfalz]

tony
i found in net,the same thymus on mount olympus, as thymus spec.
here is the link
http://www.greekmountainflora.info/

chris

[Tony Willis]

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.