Crete is in and of itself a very unique place in a variety of ways. A very special one of them is its biodiversity.
Studies show that there are over 1.800 species of plants in Crete, even much more than England.
Crete is an island-example for the preservation of our natural inheritance and the protection of the natural wealth and resources of the country.
This wealth, however, is not only related with the number, but also with the endemic plant life of the island, that count over 150 and constitute about 10% of the species of flora.
Despite human intervention, Cretan flora shapes and adapts to withstand any hyperactivity.
For example, there are endemic plants with thorns (to prevent grazing) or awful tastes (to avoid being consumed).
Furthermore, although the so-called woodlands of Crete are few, they are some of the rarest habitats or accommodations in Europe, like the palm trees of Theofrastos.
Of the forest species, those that are most common on the island are pine and cypress, conifers with large adaptability in extreme environments, but also maple and abelitsia, one of the rarest trees in the world that is planted almost exclusively on the White Mountains in small batches.
The most notable species of flora of the island are its aromatic plants and herbs that are used as ingredients in cooking, in the making of beverages and as healing implements.
For example, thyme, sage, ironwort (malotira), dittany, are only some of the plants that one can find, and especially smell, on Crete.
