[Bolanthus]

Though rather inconspicuous in some habitats, autumn is a second spring for the Mediterranean region. It brings with it exquisite flowers like the yellow Amaryllis of Linnaeus (soon after to be transferred to genus Sternbergia), colchicums, autumn and sea squills, and of course cyclamens!

On Mt. Hymettus three are the season jewels of late September and these are i) Cyclamen graecum, ii) Sternbergia lutea*, iii) Prospero autumnale (Scilla autumnalis). I managed to get a photo where all three can be seen simultaneously, though Sternbergia is right before flowering and Prospero is unfocused. Subsequent photos demonstrate the beauty of these species! 

"We all love the rocks!"










Cyclamens arround a young Phlomis fruticosa -also some dried Carlina corymbosa










*In the web site of Euro + Med [the database which I use for valid nomenclature and the distribution of species] I saw that S. sicula is now considered to be the same species of S. lutea, and -to my surprise- so does the tiny S. greuteriana from Crete.

[Alisdair]

Glorious pictures, Aris!
That pinkish Prospero is quite something....
Incidentally, in the Bulbs section there's quite a long discussion about the naming of all those Sternbergias which you can see by clicking here. (My potful of "Sternbergia greuteriana" has just started flowering here in UK though kept completely dry under glass - looks as if only the cooler weather has prompted it, though I have now given the thirsty little things their first autumn drink.)

[Bolanthus]

Glorious pictures, Aris!
That pinkish Prospero is quite something....
Incidentally, in the Bulbs section there's quite a long discussion about the naming of all those Sternbergias which you can see by clicking here. (My potful of "Sternbergia greuteriana" has just started flowering here in UK though kept completely dry under glass - looks as if only the cooler weather has prompted it, though I have now given the thirsty little things their first autumn drink.)

Thank you Alisdair, I think that your lilliputian "greuterianas" are quite something also I just read the thread on S. lutea and couldn't agree more at least for the case of the "sicula" form. On the other hand "greauterianas" are so extremely small that It would be intriguing if new (genetic) experiments would sugest rather a subsp. greuteriana. I have not yet read the studies that  demonstrate a  phenotypic continuum down to tiny greuteriana form. Even in this case many such "populations" of greuterianas could be geneticaly isolated in their habitats and could represent subspecies. Just a thought...

[Umbrian]

Lovely photos Bolanthus especially love the one with the flowers emerging from the round holes in the rock
Now I will show my ignorance .......where is Mt Hymettis?

[Jill S]

Isn't Hymettus the mountain behind Sparoza? or am I getting it confused with somewhere else?

Love the photographs Bolanthus, the flowers look so fresh and spring like.

[Bolanthus]

Hymettus is the closest mountain to the (historical) center of Athens. Sparoza is also located on the foot of Hymettus, but from the other (East) side of the mountain. See picture below

[Umbrian]

Many thanks having been to Sparoza on a couple of occasions I perhaps should have known but geography was never my strong point. Terrific map

[Alice]

Just love your Mt Hymettus autumn jewels!

[Fleur Pavlidis]

For anyone who's interested my town, Koropi, and husband, Nikos, are organising a weekend of talks and walks about Mt Hymettos. George Sfikas is doing the flora part. I'll post the poster when there is one.