Know How:
Encyclopaedia of trees- Choosing shrubs and trees
- Knowing what scratches: woody plants
common to macchia vegetation
Knowing what scratches: woody plants common to macchia vegetation
The word macchia refers to the mixed shrublands with sclerophyllous vegetation typically found throughout the Mediterranean region. Macchia is the result of intensive utilization which has destroyed the primeval forests. Talking a walk through the macchia is usually a fairly thorny, scratchy affair, as many of the woody plants are covered with prickly spines or thorns. The lower form of macchia vegetation, which rarely grows above 2 m in height, is known as garrigue. Typical macchia plants are described below.
The Italian Buckthorn is a small, robust shrub with mildly poisonous berries.
The Butcher's Broom is a small shrub with shoots that look like leaves.
The Common Myrtle is a bushy shrub with aromatically fragrant white flowers.
The Mastic is a shrub or tree with a dense network of branches. Its bark produces mastic resin.
The Strawberry Tree is an evergreen shrub with decorative, edible fruits and attractive flower panicles.
Evergreen tree with tough, leathery leaves similar to holly.
Evergreen tree with a dense crown commonly found in macchia vegetation.
The Prickly Juniper or Prickly Cedar, as it is also known, is a typical macchia shrub.
The Phoenician Juniper is an evergreen shrub or tree found in macchia vegetation, often with a low-lying stem.
Dwarf shrub with attractive flowers, aromatic smell, slightly bitter taste. The leaves are used for culinary purposes.
The Sea Grape grows predominantly on beaches and dunes as it is highly tolerant of the salty sea spray.