Re: some native Cretan endemics

 

 
Nick,

Thanks for the additional info on the Petromarula, and I certainly did see alot of it growing in exactly the conditions you have described.  However, I also saw it growing quite happily on south facing stone walls of old buildings, which I don't think were limestone based, and it seemed to be amazingly tolerant of a wide variety of exposures, but was never growing in deep soils or in competition with other plants, but always alone on steep, rocky slopes with excellent drainage.  Not having those conditions at home, I am not quite sure where and how to use it, but it certainly was showy in Crete in May!

I also had not realized that Ebenus was so long to bloom, it had the appearance of being as fast a grower as the native Lupinus arboreus of California...  Thanks again for you additional info. 

Regards, David Feix

 

 Turland wrote:


I just wanted to throw in my bit on Petromarula and Ebenus...

Petromarula pinnata is pretty easy from seed, though it is a good idea not to
let the plants get potbound as they have a long, thick taproot, which
becomes distorted if it reaches the bottom of the pot. The plant seems to
live for many years as a rosette before flowering, and then sometimes dying.
It is more tolerant of a cooler, moister climate than typical mediterranean
conditions. Indeed, it probably won't be too happy in a hot, dry, sunny
place, as most of its wild sites in Crete are shady limestone cliffs. It will take
at least a few degrees of frost. The flower color varies from pale gray-blue
to a good deep Campanula blue; the height of the flowering stems from
about 1 foot (30 cm) to 3 feet (90 cm). It is endemic to Crete and has no
close relatives elsewhere. The Campan! ul! ! a family has quite a few of these
odd island endemics, e.g., Musschia in Madeira, Brighamia in Hawaii, and
Canarina in the Canary Islands.

Ebenus cretica is also endemic to Crete but, unlike Petromarula, the genus
has more than one species, and there are others in Asia. I always found it
rather shy-flowering in Britain, perhaps because of the cooler, damper
climate than Crete. It does seem to prefer sunnier places than Petromarula,
and the best plants I've seen in Crete (6 foot/2 m wide bushes) are in south-
facing sites. It will take a little frost, but not much. It's quick growing and
will make a nice little shrub after only a couple of years, probably flowering
in its 3rd year.

Oh yes, and Ferula communis is a noxious weed in Crete too!!

Nick

Nick Turland
Flora of China Project, Missouri Botanical Garden,
P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299, U.S.A.
E-mail: Nicholas.Turland@mobot.org
Phone: +1 3! 14! ! 577 0269 Fax: +1 314 577 9438
MBG web: http://www.mobot.org
FOC web: http://flora.harvard.edu/china/




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