plants in the area of stymphalia

The natural world has inspired Greek culture ever since antiquity. During ancient times flowers and plants were symbols of the presence of the gods in everyday life: the Oak was associated with Zeus, the Olive with Athena, the Laurel with Apollo, and so on. Chloris was the protector of flowers; we borrowed the name of her Roman counterpart Flora to designate the group which includes all flowering plants.The flora in the region of Stymphalia reflects in smaller scale the great diversity that characterises the whole of Greece. From the lake and its immediate natural and cultivated surroundings to the slopes of Mounts Olygirtos and Ziria, ecosystems here comprise various vegetation communities. These include strictly aquatic species, species of the maquis vegetation and, in disturbed areas, species more typical of the phrygana vegetation, species of the montane coniferous and broadleaved forests, species of the sub-alpine and alpine zones, and the highly specialised plants of the limestone rocky cliffs and gorges. Very interesting plant species of the area include the endemic Adonis cyllenea, Aristolochia microstoma, Pterocephalus perennis subsp. perennis, Verbascum cylleneum, Valeriana olenaea, Marrubium cytleneum, Globularia stygia, Minuartia pichleri, Cicer graecum, Ebenus sibthorpii, and the rare Biebersteinia orphanidis. Also the Lake Stymphalia itself boasts several rarities, which include Persicaria amphibia, Ludwigia palustris, Utricularia australis, Butomus umbellatus, Ranunculus peltatus subsp. baudotii and the recently rediscovered bindweed Convolvulus mairei. Although the flora of the area of Stymphalia has not been studied thoroughly yet, at least 200 species of plants are known to live here. Of these, 13 are listed as species of conservation priority at a Greek or European level. (From the publisher)