Crete Mediterranean forests

The Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests ring the Aegean Sea, spanning most of mainland Greece and the Aegean islands, the western coast of Turkey, and reaching into southeastern North Macedonia and southwestern Bulgaria. Its vegetation is classic Mediterranean: dense maquis shrubland of holm oak, strawberry tree, and bay laurel, extensive pine forests of Calabrian (Turkish) pine, Aleppo pine, and stone pine, with sweet chestnut and oriental beech on cooler northern slopes. The climate is Mediterranean, with mild winters and dry summers. The ecoregion's flagship is the oriental sweetgum (Liquidambar orientalis), endemic to a limited area of southwestern Turkey and the Greek island of Rhodes, and much of the original habitat has been heavily degraded by human activity dating back to ancient times. For gardeners drawn to drought-tolerant Mediterranean planting, native genera such as Arbutus (strawberry tree), Laurus (bay laurel), and the pines offer ornamental, climate-suited choices.

The Anatolian conifer and deciduous mixed forests cover the mountains and plateaus of southwestern Anatolia in Turkey, a transitional zone where Mediterranean conditions grade into increasingly continental climate moving from west to east. Its forests are a mosaic of pines and deciduous broadleaf trees: Turkish pine (Pinus brutia) holds the western foothills and inland depressions, while the emblematic Anatolian black pine (Pinus nigra ssp. pallasiana) dominates the drier east and higher elevations, mixing with oaks (Quercus cerris, Q. pubescens, Q. robur, Q. frainetto), sweet chestnut, Oriental beech, and juniper. The climate is broadly Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and rainy winters and annual precipitation ranging roughly 400 to 600 mm. The region shelters brown bears, grey wolves, Saker falcons, and the critically endangered long-legged wood frog, and its wetlands are vital for migratory waterfowl such as Dalmatian pelicans and white-headed ducks; it is classified as critical or endangered, with only a small fraction of its area protected. For gardeners, several plants native here are familiar ornamentals, including the cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) and sweet chestnut.

The Canary Islands dry woodlands and forests ecoregion covers the five western islands of Spain's Canary Archipelago-La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria-volcanic islands in the Atlantic roughly 115 km off the northwest African coast. Vegetation sorts itself by elevation: lowland scrub and open woodland with the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) and dragon trees give way to humid laurisilva (laurel) forest between about 500 and 1,400 m, fayal-brezal heath of Myrica faya and tree heath (Erica arborea), and forests of the endemic Canary Island pine. The climate is dry and warm, with rain falling mainly in winter and the moist northeasterly trade winds making windward slopes far wetter than the southwestern rain shadow. Despite their small area, the islands are exceptionally rich in endemic and relict species, including endemic birds such as Bolle's pigeon and the Tenerife blue chaffinch, and a large share of the archipelago's vascular flora is found nowhere else. Conservation is significant here, with about 52% of the ecoregion protected within parks such as Teide and Garajonay National Parks.

The Corsican montane broadleaf and mixed forests cover the high, steep mountain massifs of the island of Corsica in France, climbing to summits such as Monte Cinto (2,710 m) and Monte Rotondo (2,625 m). Vegetation shifts sharply with elevation: evergreen sclerophyll oak forests of holm oak and cork oak occupy the lower slopes, maritime pine mixes with downy oak, European hop-hornbeam, Italian alder, and sweet chestnut at middle elevations, while silver fir and European beech hold cool north-facing slopes and Corsican pine (Pinus laricio) dominates the sunnier southern aspects. The climate follows a strong altitudinal gradient, from warm, dry lower elevations to cold, humid heights. The flagship Corsican red deer has been reintroduced here, and the ecoregion harbors a notably rich endemic flora alongside endemics such as the Corsican nuthatch and Corsican fire salamander. For gardeners, native ornamental woody genera here include juniper, sycamore maple, and silver birch found in its subalpine shrublands.

The Cyprus Mediterranean forests ecoregion covers the entire island of Cyprus, the third-largest island in the Mediterranean, spanning both the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus and divided between the Kyrenia range along the north coast and the larger Troodos range in the southwest, which rises to Mount Olympos at 1,952 meters. Lower elevations carry maquis and garigue scrub with European olive, carob, and Phoenician juniper alongside oaks, while Calabrian pine clothes both mountain ranges and higher Troodos slopes hold Anatolian black pine, foetid juniper, and two endemic trees, the Cyprus cedar (Cedrus brevifolia) and golden oak (Quercus alnifolia). The climate is Mediterranean, warm and dry across the central Mesaoria plain but humid and cooler in the surrounding mountains. The island supports a rich endemic flora concentrated in the mountains, and its flagship animal is the Cyprus mouflon, a wild sheep with distinctive sickle-shaped horns. Gardeners may recognize several ornamental geophytes native here, including Cyclamen cyprium, the Cyprus tulip (Tulipa cypria), and Crocus cyprius.

This Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands & Scrub ecoregion traces the eastern Mediterranean coastline of the Middle East, spanning Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan (with extensions into Iraq and Saudi Arabia). Its forests are dominated by Calabrian (Turkish) pine in the north and Aleppo pine in the south, giving way along the shore to evergreen maquis of olive, carob, and Kermes (Palestinian) oak, with dry oak woodlands and steppe inland. The climate is classically Mediterranean, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, and vegetation ranging from sea level up to about 1,800 meters. The striped hyena serves as the ecoregion's flagship species, though large predators such as lion, Syrian brown bear, and cheetah have largely been extirpated; the region is also a center for crop wild relatives of wheat, lentils, and peas. For gardeners, native genera here including European olive, carob, terebinth, fig, and laurel have long supplied nutritional, medicinal, and ornamental value.