Habitat «Palm groves with Phoenix»
- This type of habitat is composed, particularly in Crete, of
palm trees of the species called
Phoenix theophrasti.
- This species of palm tree is a rare endemic to the Aegean region.
It is found in Crete and SW Turkey (Datca penincula), in small
sandy moist valleys or rocky areas in close proximity to the sea.
It is known by the common name Phinikas or Vagi, and its largest
known population is located in Vai, East Crete.
- It was identified as a new species in 1967 by the Swiss botanist
Werner Greuter. He gave this palm tree that name in honour of the
father of Botany, Theophrastus (372-287 b.c.), who first mentioned
the existence of Phoenix in Crete, in
his work entitled The natural history of the plants.
- It is a dioecious tree, meaning that there are distinct trees
carrying only female or male flowers. It reaches up to 10 m in height,
produces suckers and it has one to several main trunks. It flowers
from April until May and in October the fruits mature. The close
relatives of the Phoenix theophrasti are the Date palm
(Phoenix dactylifera)which differs by
its edible fruits and the
Phoenix canariensis, which is
cultivated extensively as ornamental in Crete. It differs by its
single, taller, non-suckering and more robust stem.
- This habitat is included in Annex I of the Habitats Directive and
is considered as a priority for conservation. The species
Phoenix theophrasti, is protected by
the Greek Presidential Decree 67/81 and the Bern Convention, and is
included in the Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive. In
1973, the population of Vai was declared an "Aesthetic Forest
Preserve" (P.D. 121/73, FEK 170/A΄/73) and is now protected by
the national legislation.
- In the framework of the CRETAPLANT project, the Micro-reserve of
the plant has been set up in an area of 2.2 hectares in the area
of Chrisoskalitissa, south west Crete.
