In Ancient Greece the flower DAISY is a symbol of innocence. purity and peace. A symbol for simplicity, happiness and saying goodbye to those who passed away.
The scientific name for Daisy 'leucanthemum' is derived from the ancient Greek word 'leukos' = white and 'anthomon' = flower.
In Greek, daisy is commonly known as 'margarita'.
Look out for the wild LUPIN on your country walks in Lefkada. Found on slopes, in stony locations, in olive groves and in ditches.
Lupins pilosus - an annual plant, hairy and erect. The leaves have oblong-lanceolate leaflets which are hairy on both sides. The flowers are blue and white brush strokes and arranged in whorls along the whole length of the short raceme. the lower lip of the calyx is larger than the upper one. 
These pink dandelion like flowers are CRESIS RUBRA. Commonly known as PINK HAWKSBEARD. Native to Greece and other Mediterranean countries.
HONEYWORT - Cerinthe major 'purpurascens'. This has gorgeous oval shaped silver mottled leaves and bell-shaped deep purple flowers, which area magnet for bees. Its self seeds by an explosive release mechanism. Perfect in a wild/cottage garden. A wonderful cut flower for display.
TORDYLIUM apulum. Commonly known as the MEDITERRANEAN HEARTWORT, is an annual herb.
A plant with ridged stem and downy leaves, the lower ones heart shaped, toothed or trilobate, the upper ones ribbon-like.
The flowers are small and white; only one petal of each peripheral flower is larger. The very aromatic leaves give a special flavour to salads. Found in stony locations, olives groves and fields.
SMYRNIUM rotundifolium. Found in olive groves, thickets and dry locations. Biennial but not hollow stem. The upper greenish yellow laves are round, causing a cuff around the stem, making the plant easy to recognize.
The yellow flowers form spherical umbels with 6-12 rays.
The leaves and tender shoots are collected Autumn to winter: used as a spice like pepper.
The plant has antimicrobial and antioxidant effects with many therapeutic properties. The juice of the plant can be used as an antiseptic in open wounds.
GALACTITES tomentosa. A common plant taking its name from the white veins in the leaves which look as if they are filled with milk. Found on roadsides and in abandoned fields and barren grounds.
PIMPERNEL- Anagallis arvensis.
Commonly known as 'scarlet pimpernel', 'poor mans barometer' or 'shepherds weather glass' as it only opens when the sun shines and closes in overcast conditions.
Anagallis in Greek means 'amusing'. A small herbaceous plant with tiny flowers, most often scarlet but also bright blue. Found in cultivated and fallow fields, ditches and phrygana. Can be toxic to humans and livestock if consumed.
Salvia Fruticosa or 'Greek SAGE', is a perennial evergreen herb, sub-shrub now in flower. Edible leaves, green hairy and whitish on the underside, very aromatic.
Found in stony locations and in phrygana. Not all sage is edible, purely ornamental but they are wonderful for pollinators in your garden.
In folk traditional medicine Salvia fruticosa is widely used either internally as infusions, inhaled in steam baths or even applied externally. The plants is boiled as a tea for the relief of different pains, colds, influenza and many other disorders.
Not a wild flower but too beautiful not to mention, as Greece is in bloom with them. JUDAS TREE Cercis siliquastrum is a deciduous tree in the flowering plant family Fabaceae which is noted for its prolific display of deep pink flowers in spring. Native to Southern Europe and Western Asia. The Judas tree is referred to as a traditional Palestinian medicinal plant and in Israel the tree has a status of a protected plant.
The flowers are pollinated by bees, attracted by nectar. If you stand close to a Judas tree in bloom you will hear it buzzing alive.
ANENOME PAVONINA - Peacock anemone in southern Greece. it is found with a pink or violet flower. The anthers (the part of the stem where pollen is produced) are bluish-violet. Found in phrygana (low scrubland ecoregion), olive groves and fields.
Orchis italica, the NAKED MAN ORCHID is a species of orchid native to the Mediterranean Basin. It gets its common name from the lobed lip (labellum) of each flower which mimics the general shape of a naked man. In Italy, it is believed that the consumption of the plant is conducive to virility.
PERIWINKLE - found in woodland, shaded areas and in the olive groves is an evergreen with long trailing vines. Flowers in the spring and summer. This is an invasive plant but good for ground cover. Used medicinally for 'brain health' but poisonous to horses and dogs.
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