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Foster public awareness of national botanical riches

Greece is endowed with a diverse flora, including unique, endemic and relict species such as Z. abelicea and Aethionema retsina, and there is enormous potential to raise public awareness of this national biological wealth. Botanic gardens, especially in or near major urban centres, are ideal venues for developing a range of environmental campaigns and outreach activities, supported by educational materials and interactive exhibitions.

Enhance ex situ conservation

A major coordinated effort is required to establish viable, representative and well-documented collections at botanic gardens, arboreta and other affiliated institutions in collaboration with forest services in Greece, and especially Crete. The Z. abeliceacollections cultivated in botanic gardens almost exclusively originate from the Levka Ori region (the most accessible area and the best-known occurrence of the species), therefore new collections based on plants from all other regions would significantly enhance the ex situ conservation value. Additionally, as the species is not present in any international seed bank, new seed collections should be undertaken. In particular, this should include collections from the small, highly isolated and threatened populations of Psiloritis, Dhikti and Thripiti, from where plant material has rarely, if ever, been collected for ex situ cultivation.

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REASONS THREATENING ZELKOVA ABELICEA AND AETHIONEMA RETSINA

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REASONS THREATENING ZELKOVA ABELICEA AND AETHIONEMA RETSINA

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The most severe pressure on all investigated populations is overgrazing and browsing by livestock. This is followed by soil erosion, which is clearly correlated with intensive trampling and grazing and was observed in almost 60% of the plots. The potential influence of drought during the summer months is difficult to establish, although symptoms of water stress (e.g. dead branches without signs of browsing, dry and brownish leaves during the vegetative period) were observed in several study plots (e.g. ELI, PSI and LAS3). Pollarding and other forms of wood utilization appear to be minimal and were observed only in plots with a relatively large number of normally developed trees (e.g. in the Levka Ori Mountains). Fires are a significant source of disturbance to the vegetation of Crete, and signs of recent burning were observed in > 40% of the study plots. Finally, the population in the Thripiti Mountains, the two distant populations in the Psiloritis Mountains and several populations in the Dhikti and Levka Ori (e.g. ELI, NIA) are geographically isolated (most likely without gene flow between other populations).

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Zelkova abelicea, also known as Cretan zelkova, and on Crete proper as abelitsia (αμπελιτσιά), is a species that belongs to the genus Zelkova and is endemic to the Greek island of Crete. It is found in small numbers and is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN red list of endangered species.

Aethionema retsina is a species of flowering plant in the Brassicaceae family. It is found only in Greece.

Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation and rocky shores. It is threatened by habitat loss.

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Theophrastus of Eresus in Lesbos, born about 370 BCE, is the author of the most important botanical works that have survived from classical antiquity. He was in turn student, collaborator, and successor of Aristotle. Like his predecessor he was interested in all aspects of human knowledge and experience, especially natural science. His writings on plants form a counterpart to Aristotle’s zoological works.

The Enquiry into Plants was originally ten books, of which nine survive. The work is arranged into a system whereby plants are classified according to their modes of generation, their localities, their sizes, and according to their practical uses such as foods, juices, herbs, etc.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophrastus - cite_note-Long1842-43 The first book deals with the parts of plants; the second with the reproduction of plants and the times and manner of sowing; the third, fourth and fifth books are devoted to trees, their types, their locations, and their practical applications; the sixth deals with shrubs and spiny plants; the seventh deals with herbs; the eighth deals with plants which produce edible seeds; and the ninth deals with plants which produce useful juices, gums, resins, etc.

On the Causes of Plants was originally eight books, of which six survive. It concerns the growth of plants; the influences on their fecundity; the proper times they should be sown and reaped; the methods of preparing the soil, manuring it, and the use of tools; of the smells, tastes, and properties of many types of plants. The work deals mainly with the economical uses of plants rather than their medicinal uses, although the latter are sometimes mentioned. Although these works contain many absurd and fabulous statements, as a whole they have many valuable observations concerning the functions and properties of plants. Theophrastus detected the process of germination and realized the importance of climate and soil to plants.

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Allspice
Known as bahari (bah-HAH-ree) in Greece, allspice is a surprising ingredient in Greek food because it's grown exclusively west of the Atlantic Ocean. However, it's used in desserts such as baklava and kataifi. You can purchase the dried berries and grind them yourself or buy them already pulverized.

Coriander

Like anise, coriander, or kolianthro (koh-LEE-ahn-throh) is a member of the parsley family. Native to the Mediterranean and the Middle East, it's used as a medicine as well as in traditional Greek cooking. It has a strong, earthy flavor, but much of this is leached during the cooking process, leaving a more delicate taste.

Technically, the word coriander can be used to describe the entire plant: leaves, stems, seeds, and all. When speaking of coriander, most people are referring to the spice produced from the seeds of the plant. The leaves of the plant are commonly called cilantro, which comes from the Spanish word for coriander.

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White Fir or Concolor Fir -
- blue-green needles, with a whitish tint,  are 1/2 to 1/2 inches long; nice shape and good aroma, a citrus scent; good needle retention. They have good foliage color, good needle retention, and a pleasing shape and aroma.  In nature can live to 350 years.
Norway Pine - The Norway Pine, Also called the Red Pine is Minnesota's State tree. It has dark green needles, 3"-5" in length, big and bushy. The branches are strong and hold decorations well and has very good needle retention.  native to North America. It occurs from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and south to Pennsylvania, with several smaller, disjunct populations occurring in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, as well as a few small pockets in extreme northern New Jersey and northern Illinois
Read more at http://pickyourownchristmastree.org/treevarieties.php#ixzTYrcYdWwrU6JT.99

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Tsikoudia (τσικουδιά) – also often called raki (ρακί) in the eastern part of Crete – is an alcoholic beverage, a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Cretan origin that contains 40% to 65% alcohol by volume.[1] Tsikoudia is made by distilling of pomace, i.e., the pieces of grapes (sometimes including the stems and seeds) that were pressed for the winemaking process. The pomace is kept for about six weeks after the grapes have been pressed, in a tightly-sealed barrel, and then the fermented mush is distilled.

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Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes.Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol, carbon dioxide, and heat. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine. These variations result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the terroir, and the production process. Many countries enact legal appellations intended to define styles and qualities of wine. These typically restrict the geographical origin and permitted varieties of grapes, as well as other aspects of wine production. Wines not made from grapes include rice wine and fruit wines such as plum, cherry, pomegranate, currant and elderberry.
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Wine.html

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https://www.climateandmonuments.com/climate-change-in-greece

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From the analysis of long-term meteorological datasets (period 1901-2006) along with regional climate model projections for the 21st century (SRES scenario A1B) a decline of annual precipitation is projected of 5–25% in 2040–2069 and 5–30% in 2070–2099 relative to the reference period 1961–1990 (11). The decreases will be particularly large (>15%) in Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestine territories and Syria. As a result of precipitation decrease, and also due to population growth rates, the per capita available internal water resources may decline strongly, for example by 50% or more by mid-century in Cyprus.

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We are still strongly depended on fossil fuels and only the developed countries of the world have the technology and therefore the luxury of using green energy.

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We are still strongly depended on fossil fuels and only the developed countries of the world have the technology and therefore the luxury of using green energy.

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Alexander von Humboldt, in full Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander, Freiherr (baron) von Humboldt, (born Sept. 14, 1769, Berlin—died May 6, 1859, Berlin), German naturalist and explorer who was a major figure in the classical period of physical geography and biogeography—areas of science now included in the earth sciences and ecology. With his book Kosmos he made a valuable contribution to the popularization of science.Between 1799 and 1804, Humboldt travelled extensively in the Americas, exploring and describing it for the first time from a modern scientific point of view.During the last 25 years of his life, Humboldt was chiefly occupied with writing Kosmos, one of the most ambitious scientific works ever published. Four volumes appeared during his lifetime. Written in a pleasant, literary style, Kosmos gives a generally comprehensible account of the structure of the universe as then known, at the same time communicating the scientist’s excitement and aesthetic enjoyment at his discoveries.

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The climate of the region is presently foreseen to experince a general temperature increase of 2-4° C accompanied by decreasing precipitation, making the region more arid. A decrease in precipitation has already been observed in the whole region and is expected to continue. Despite the decrease in average precipitation, the region has seen a large number of heavy rainfalls during the period of 1990-2007, resulting in flooding landslides and increasing soil erosion (UNEP/Grid Arendal). Increased aridification and finally desertification can be induced by the dryer and warmer climate alone or by a combination with an intensification of land use, cultivation patterns, choice of species and regimes and demands on water, but also from deforestation and fires.

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The Mediterranean basin stretches c.3,800 km east to west from the tip of Portugal to the shores of Lebanon and some 1,000 km north to south from Italy to Morocco and Libya. Within the European Union, the Mediterranean Region encompasses seven Member States either partially (France, Portugal, Italy, Spain) or completely (Greece, Malta, Cyprus).

The climate is characterised by hot dry summers and humid, cool winters but it can also be notoriously capricious with sudden torrential downpours or bouts of high winds (eg. the Sirocco, the Mistral) occurring at various times of the year. These climatic conditions have a profound influence on the vegetation and wildlife of the region. So does its varied and contrasting topography – the Mediterranean Region offers an ever changing landscape of high mountains, rocky shores, impenetrable scrub, semi-arid steppes, coastal wetlands, sandy beaches and a myriad islands of various shapes and sizes dotted amidst the clear blue sea.
Having escaped the last Ice Age, all these areas harbour their own special kind of wildlife and habitats. As a result, the Mediterranean has not only a very rich biodiversity but also a large number of species that exist here and nowhere else in the world. The rate of endemism is exceptionally high both on land and in the sea. Of the 25,000 flowering plants identified so far–representing around 10% of all known plants on earth – more than half are endemic to the region. Not surprisingly, the Mediterranean is considered one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world.

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 Tropical Andean trees migrate to higher altitudes where the air is cool enough to support their existence. Due to the fast climatic change they have to move faster in order to remain in equilibrium with their preferred temperatures.

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 Tropical Andean trees migrate to higher altitudes where the air is cool enough to support their existence. Due to the fast climatic change they have to move faster in order to remain in equilibrium with their preferred temperatures.

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Scientific classification

Kingdom: | Plantae
Clade: | Angiosperms
Clade: | Eudicots
Clade: | Asterids
Order: | Asterales
Family: | Asteraceae
Genus: | Matricaria
Species: | M. chamomilla

Matricaria chamomilla (synonym: Matricaria recutita), commonly known as chamomile (also spelled camomile), Italian camomilla, German chamomile, Hungarian chamomile (kamilla), wild chamomile or scented mayweed, is an annual plant of the composite family Asteraceae. M. chamomilla is the most popular source of the herbal product chamomile, although other species are also used as chamomile.

The word chamomile comes from the Greek χαμαίμηλον (chamaimēlon) meaning "earth-apple",[which is derived from χαμαί (chamai) meaning "on the ground" and μήλον (mēlon) meaning "apple". It is so called because of the apple-like scent of the plant.
Chamomile blue refers to chamazulene, the purified, deep-blue essential oil derived using steam distillation, rather than the plant itself.

In Latin, one of the meanings of matrix is the womb; the name Matricaria was given to the genus because Matricaria chamomilla was widely used to treat such gynecologic complaints as menstrual cramps and sleep disorders related to premenstrual syndrome. Matricaria chamomilla has been found to contain fairly strong antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory constituents and is particularly effective in treating stomach and intestinal cramps.
M. chamomilla has a branched, erect and smooth stem, which grows to a height of 15–60 cm (6–23.5 in). The long and narrow leaves are bipinnate or tripinnate.The flowers are borne in paniculate flower heads (capitula). The white ray florets are furnished with a ligule, while the disc florets are yellow. The hollow receptacle is swollen and lacks scales. This property distinguishes German chamomile from corn chamomile (Anthemis arvensis), which has a receptacle with scales. The flowers bloom in early to midsummer, and have a strong, aromatic smell.

Chamomile is used in herbal medicine for a sore stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, and as a gentle sleep aid.[10] It is also used as a mild laxative and is anti-inflammatory[11] and bactericidal.[12] It can be taken as an herbal tea, two teaspoons of dried flower per cup of tea, which should be steeped for 10 to 15 minutes while covered to avoid evaporation of the volatile oils. The marc should be pressed because of the formation of a new active principle inside the cells, which can then be released by rupturing the cell walls, though this substance only forms very close to boiling point. For a sore stomach, some recommend taking a cup every morning without food for two to three months.

One of the active ingredients of its essential oil is the terpene bisabolol.[ Other active ingredients include farnesene, chamazulene, flavonoids(including apigenin, quercetin, patuletin and luteolin) and coumarin.]

Dried chamomile has a reputation (among herbalists) for being incorrectly prepared because it is dried at a temperature above the boiling point of the volatile components of the plant.

Potential pharmacology

A 2006 review of the medical literature reported a number of beneficial effects for chamomile in in vitro and animal tests, but added more human clinical trials are needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn. Research with animals suggests antispasmodic, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and some antimutagenic and cholesterol-lowering effects for chamomile.

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Annual temperature over the period 1961–1990 showed a trend of statistically significant warming over land in south-east Europe of approximately 0.4–0.6 °C per decade . In the middle of the ’50s a cooling period started in northern Greece and progressively extended also in the southern regions of the country where it started to be detected in the beginning of the’70s. The lowest average annual temperatures in Greece occurred in the decade of 1970 up to the beginning of 1980, due mainly to the very cold summers and autumns. However, during the last years of the ’90s (while a little earlier in some meteorological stations), a progressive increase of temperature was observed. … This seems to be due to a more intensive warming during the summer period .

In Greece, as it was also the case of Spain, the frequency of heat waves in the ’90s was about three times higher than the one of the three previous decades. However, there are no signs of a similar reverse trend in the frequency of cold extremes. The data from both stations of Athens and Corfu present statistical important increasing trends with respect to the duration of heat waves, during the summer period as well as on annual basis, while the occurrence of cooling waves during winter as well as on annual basis becomes much less frequent. The time series from the other stations do not show a certain trend or they show negative trends with respect to the duration of heat waves .

In the eastern Mediterranean, the intensity, length and number of heat waves have increased by a factor of six to eight since the 1960s.

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Taxonomic classification: Kingdom: Plantae; Subkingdom: Tracheobionta; Superdivision: Spermatophyta; Division: Magnoliophyta; Class: Magnoliopsida; Subclass: Asteridae; Order: Asterales; Family: Asteraceae ⁄ Compositae; Genus: Cnicus; Species: Cnicus benedictus L
Synonyms: Carduus benedictus (L.) Thell. and Cirsium pugnax Sommier & Levier
The Latin name benedictus was derived from blessed thistle's immense healing properties implying its sacred virtues. By the early sixteenth century, it had securely gained footing in European folk medicine and was cultivated widely in monastery gardens. Even the famous poet Shakespeare mentioned blessed thistle in his play Much Ado about  Nothing (written in 1598-1599 CE). Spiritually, it was associated with purification and therefore used in purification baths. It was also believed that wearing a bit of it would protect one from evil. Furthermore, it was associated with the planet Mars, the zodiac of Aries, and the element fire.
Description: The thistle grows to 30 to 50 cm high. The stems are heavily branched, thistle-like, villous and glutinous pubescent. The leaves are oblong, emarginated to pinnatifid, thorny-dentate, and roughly reticulate. Flower and Fruit: The blossom is a pale yellow composite, its solitary flower sessile on the tips of the twigs. The florets are tubular. The few lateral florets are sterile, have 3-part borders and are smaller than the numerous androgynous florets. The epicalyx is ovate. The inner bracts end in a long, rigid and pinnatifid thorn. The outer bracts terminate in a simple thorn. They are broad, leafy and connected with the cordate-oblong leaflets of the epicalyx by numerous web-like hairs. The fruit has a tuft of hair.
Traditional uses: Blessed or holy thistle (leaves, stems, and flowers has been used to stimulate appetite, enhance bile secretion, strengthen the liver, diminish jaundice, decrease flatulence, and aid digestion. It was used for this purpose in both European traditional herbalism and in the Ayurvedic medicine system of India over the generations. It was also used to support and regulate the female reproductive system due to its emmenagogue action. It was also used as galactagogue in nursing mothers to increase and enrich milk flow . Blessed thistle leaves, stems, and flowers have traditionally been used in "bitter" tonic drinks and in other preparations taken by mouth to enhance appetite and digestion. It was also historically used as a diuretic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, contraceptive, and antipyretic, as a cure for the plague and malaria, and as a general tonic. Nowadays, it was mainly used as a bitter tonic to treat dyspepsia, flatulence and indigestion; some herbalists also recommend it as an astringent (to treat diarrhea or hemorrhage), vulnerary, galactagogue, and remedy for dysmenorrheal. Homeopaths use the plant for nausea, left-sided stomach pain, gallstones, homesickness, intermittent fever, and enlarged liver, especially when eye symptoms are present and there is a sensation of contraction in many parts.
MORE INFORMATION:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e9c4/630736a8bdc412388ac0f90502604e6bc248.pdf

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The Mediterranean, a biodiversity hotspot, is rich in medicinal and aromatic plants covering an extensive area with different environmental conditions. The geographical position of Greece, its geomorphology, the presence of flora of past geological eras and the coexistence and interplay of biotic and non biotic factors have defined it as a region of high plant diversity and endemism, a fact that also impacts the category of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs).

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To get an idea of how rich the biodiversity of Crete is, just consider that Crete has almost as many species and subspecies of plants (about 1750) as the whole Britain (1450), even if it is 35 times smaller. This diversity is not only reflected in the total number of species but also in the number of endemic species, which grow only in Crete and nowhere else in the world. In Crete, there are about 160 endemic species and subspecies, which means that 9% of the plant species of Crete do not exist anywhere else in the world.

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VEGETATION ZONES IN THE NATIONAL PARKS OF PINDOS

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VEGETATION ZONES IN THE NATIONAL PARKS OF PINDOS

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In total, 415 types of plants and 86 species of mushroom are recorded in the area. A number of local flower types are considered endemic to the Balkans, such as Dianthus deltoides and Allium breviradum. On the other hand, many endemic plants of central and northern Greece grow also in the park, like the Centaurea vlachorum. Moreover, rare species of the forests of Pindus mountains, typical of the lower geological layers, are Minuartia baldaci, Bornmuellera tymphaea, Campanula hawkinsiana, Viola dukadjinica and Silene pindicola. The most important places for the gathering of rare plants are the northern slopes of the peaks of Aftia, Flegga and Kapetan Kleidi. A lot of places are very steep and difficult for grazing animals and therefore natural regeneration of the forest in those areas is progressing normally and many rare plants are conserved.