Most Common Plants and Trees in Peloponnese

Aspasia Athinaiou
December 8, 2023

Table of Contents

In Peloponnese you can find Oleander, Wild cucumber, Common lantana, Paperflower, Chinese hibiscus, and more! Be sure to look out for these common plants and trees when you’re walking on the streets, in parks, or public gardens.

Oleander

Nerium oleander, colloquially known as oleander, is a shrub or a small tree, known for its majestic pink five-lobed flowers and deep green lanceolate leaves. Oleander is one of the most poisonous popular decorative garden plants, so it is advised to keep small children and pets away from it.

Wild cucumber

An unusual plant, exploding cucumber is aptly named. When ripe, this plant shoots out a stream of liquid containing its seeds. Although it looks like a small cucumber, this plant is poisonous.


Common lantana

Also known as : Yellow sage, Umbelanterna
The common lantana is a flowering plant that grows best in tropical environments. The plant is generally regarded as an unwanted weed that reduces biodiversity. Additionally, it is toxic to livestock and harms the output of farmland.


Paperflower

Also known as : Lesser bougainvillea
The paperflower is commonly used as an outdoor ornamental plant and thrives in warm climates. The genus Bougainvillea glabra is the official flower of many places, including Guam, Pingtung, Ipoh, Tagbilaran, San Clemente, Guangzhou, and Naha.


Chinese hibiscus

Also known as : Rose mallow, Shoe-flower
Chinese hibiscus is a small flowering tree. Its fragrant flowers are well known the world over, leading to many cultivated variants. Chinese hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia and is featured on Malaysian coins. Although the Latin name, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, means “the rose of China,” it is not related to true roses.


Olea europaea

Olive (Olea europaea) is an evergreen tree or shrub with great agricultural importance, especially in the Mediterranean. Its fruits are edible and widely used for making oil. Olive has acquired quite a few symbolic meanings during its long history of cultivation. The most popular symbol would probably be the olive branch, which represents peace and glory.


Silverleaf nightshade

Also known as : Silverleaf nettle, Silver nightshade, Silver-leaf bitter-apple, Bull-nettle
Silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) is a common weed that grows throughout North America, South America, and Africa. In South Africa, it is called “Satan’s bush”. Ingestion of silverleaf nightshade is thought to be toxic to horses.

Mastic tree

Mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) is an evergreen tree that will grow from 4 to 8 m tall and 4 to 8 m wide. Smells of strong resin it is grown commercially for its oil which is harvested between summer and fall. Produces small red mastic fruit that ripen and turn black in fall. Grows well in limestone and salty areas making it a good choice for coastal regions. Needs a wide area to grow makes a nice screen.


Cape leadwort

Also known as : Blister bush, Cape plumbago
Cape leadwort is a flowering plant native to South Africa. Its Latin name, Plumbago auriculata, is derived from the word auriculata meaning “with ears,” referring to the shape of its leaves. The leaves serve as food for the caterpillar of the Hummingbird hawk-moth. The plant’s sticky sepals, on the other hand, can grab animals as small as a housefly.


Carob tree

Also known as : Locust tree, Algaroba
Carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) is a flowering evergreen shrub native to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Carob tree is often used in ornamental horticulture in gardens and landscaping practices. This shrub has edible pods that are sometimes toasted, ground into powder, and used as a cooking substitute for chocolate. For commercial purposes, the pods are often cultivated in large orchards.


Pomegranate

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a deciduous shrub or small tree, native to western and southern parts of Asia. It has a long history of cultivation and rich symbolism in polytheistic religions. Fruits of pomegranate play an important role in many West Asian cuisines. Aside from culinary uses, this fruit-bearing shrub is also cultivated for ornamental purposes.


Barley

Also known as : Six-row barley, Two rowed barley
Hordeum vulgare or barley is an important cereal grain that’s grown globally. It’s commonly used in soups, stews, breads, and as a source of malt for alcoholic beverages like beer. The economic value of its trade globally is over $33 billion.


Japanese pittosporum

Also known as : Japanese mock orange, Australian laurel
The name of the japanese pittosporum can be deceiving. It is not a true orange plant, it instead gets its name from the fact that the highly fragrant flowers have a distinct citrus scent. The flowers don’t last for a long time, only about two weeks, but the dark evergreen foliage is attractive all year long and the plant makes a great addition to a border or as a stand-alone plant.


Sea daffodil

Sea daffodil (Pancratium maritimum) is a bulbous perennial species native to the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean region, and the area surrounding the Black Sea. The sea daffodil grows on beaches and coastal sand dunes. This species is often cultivated as an ornamental plant and requires full sunlight and well-drained soil to grow well.


Sweet basil

Also known as : Saint-joseph’s-wort, Common basil
Sweet basil is a species of mint plant native to Asia and Africa. It is a popular houseplant, and thrives when it receives plenty of regular sun and water. This plant is also easy to transfer from one soil environment to another. The edible sweet basil leaves can be eaten fresh or dried with pizza, salads, soups, teas, and many other dishes.


Wine grape

Wine grape (Vitis vinifera) is a woody, fruit-bearing vine with a very long and vivid history of cultivation for culinary, recreational, and ritualistic purposes – most notably in winemaking. The earliest known evidence of domesticated wine grapes has been identified in Georgia, and carbon dating traces its domestic origins all the way back to 6000 BC. In addition to wine, the fruit of the wine grape is eaten in the form of grapes, raisins, and currants.


Kermes oak

Also known as : Berry-bearing oak, Grain oak
Kermes oak (Quercus coccifera) is a Mediterranean evergreen oak species, which grows as a shrub or a small tree. The small leaves are leathery and shiny, with spiked edges, looking a bit like common holly. Historically, it was important as a food source for the scale insect kermes, which was used to make crimson red dye.


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