The leaves are alternate, leathery, and compound paripinnate (no terminal leaflet) with five or six pairs of deep-green leaflets. It presents very small flowers, the male with five stamens, the female trifid style. The fruit is a drupe, first red and then black when ripe, about 4 mm in diameter.

Flowers often solitary and nodding, but some form umbels or have racemes with many flowers. Perianth campanulate (bell or cup shaped) and its segments usually tesselated with squares of alternating light and dark colours. Nectaries are large and well developed, and in most species (with the exception of Rhinopetalum), are linear to lanceolate or ovate and weakly impressed upon the tepals.

The bulbs typically consist of a few tightly packed fleshy scales with a translucent tunic that disappears with further growth of the bulb. However, some species have naked bulbs with many scales and loosely attached bulbils, resembling those of the closely related Lilium.

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.

Contrary to the classic ‘sun, sea and sand’ images portrayed in most tourist brochures, the Mediterranean is surprisingly hilly. One is almost never out of sight of the mountains, even on the islands.

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.

2. Protection from Climate Change
For a couple of decades now, the world has witnessed radical climatic change that has been accelerated by increased industrial pollution. Crop extinction is inevitable with such extreme changes. If seeds are stored in seed banks, the danger of total elimination of certain species of crops is eliminated.

3. Protection from Natural Disasters
Natural disasters are unforeseen events that could lead to complete annihilation of crops from the face of the earth. The foresight of keeping seeds in a seed bank could save such a situation. Malaysian rice paddies, for example, were wiped out during the 2004 tsunami  and international seed banks provided farmers with seeds that helped them start over.

4. Disease Resistance
Crop diseases are highly contagious and very deadly to plants. A serious breakout could completely eliminate crops. Where diseases have ravaged crops and left no traces that farmers could start on, seed banks can intervene and provide them with seeds that will enable them start on a clean slate.

5. Provide seed material for research
Seeds that are stored in seed banks can be made easily available to scientists and researchers who wish to study these seeds especially if such research could lead to improvement of crop production.

6. Preservation from Man-made Disasters
Man-made disasters such as war and oil spills could lead to the annihilation of crops. Counties that are engaged in war make it difficult for farmers to continue farming and it’s easy for crops to disappear. Once peace is restored, seeds can be retrieved from seed banks and replanted.

Restoration ecology is a relatively new science that provides the knowledge and helps guide the development of the tools and technology needed to return an ecosystem to health. In many cases, restoration works to enhance the process of ecological succession. After a disturbance such as a fire or a storm, succession occurs naturally as plants and wildlife return to the area and re-establish a complex network of interdependent species. However, where an ecosystem has been damaged by humans, the process of succession must be facilitated by human intervention. Non-native plants and wildlife that have invaded an area should be removed or at least controlled; erosion control measures must be put into place, and native species in many cases must be reintroduced or their populations reinforced.