The Unique Flower That Grows Only on Athens’ Acropolis

Micromeria acropolitana is simply a delicate small angiosperm that grows lone connected the slopes of the Acropolis. Credit: Twitter/Maria Dimitrakarakou

Found interspersed among the rocky terrain of the Acropolis of Athens is simply a tiny works that features a delicate pinkish angiosperm called the Micromeria acropolitana.

Measuring astatine conscionable 5 to 30 centimeters (up to 12 inches) successful height, it is casual to locomotion past this works without adjacent noticing it. Yet this humble flower, which is beloved by Greeks and botanists alike, has an absorbing history.

This unassuming but beauteous works is wholly unique, arsenic it lone grows connected the Acropolis, the past elevation of Athens, location to the Parthenon, which is the astir iconic operation successful the past of Western civilization.

Flower blooms successful May passim the Acropolis hill

The Micromeria acropolitana blooms each twelvemonth from May until June, erstwhile its beauteous flowers look and dot the rocks of the Acropolis with notes of pink.

It is thought that the works has lived connected the past hill, which served arsenic the halfway of ancient Athenian political, spiritual, and societal beingness for centuries since clip immemorial.

MicromeriaAcropolitana was archetypal collected successful 1906 from the Acropolis, Athens it was considered extinct until its rediscovery successful 2006,. It has survived successful its archetypal habitat, the earthy stone of the elevation #Acropolis #Greece#ClimateMW #MuseumWeek pic.twitter.com/5kaPYC1h77

— Maria Dimitrakarakou (@dimitrakarakou) May 15, 2020

Discovery of the micromeria acropolitana connected the Acropolis

The works was discovered successful the summertime of 1906 by 2 French botanists, Rene C.J.E. Maire and Marcel G.C. Petitmengin, and was included successful their enactment “In Acropoli Athenarum.”

The Micromeria acropolitana was archetypal classified scientifically conscionable 2 years aboriginal by Austrian botanist Eugen von Halacsy, who described it arsenic “Micromeria athenae,” and aboriginal changed it to its existent name, “Micromeria acropolitana” successful his substance “Conspectus Florae Graecae.”

Oddly, the works appeared to spell extinct soon aft it was discovered, but it reemerged connected the Acropolis successful 2006, a 100 years aft it was archetypal found. It had been included successful the Greek state’s authoritative catalogue of protected plants, by bid of a Presidential Decree, successful 1981, during the play that it was thought to person been extinct.

The Greek biologist Grigoris Tsounis was the archetypal to rediscover the supposedly extinct works successful 2006, with his lad Lambros. The brace stumbled crossed a secluded country of the Acropolis wherever implicit 2 100 of the plants were thriving. They returned to the spot for years to thin to the plants.

Three years later, successful 2009, Danish biologist Dr. Kit Tan, prof astatine the University of Copenhagen, confirmed that the plants they had been taking attraction of were successful information the famed Micromeria acropolitana.

This confirmation meant that the unsocial works was so not extinct but had been thriving successful its earthy ecosystem, the Acropolis of Athens.

The determination wherever the plants thrive has remained concealed truthful arsenic not to disrupt the delicate flora. While the works tin beryllium recovered crossed the Acropolis, this hidden spot is wherever the threatened Micromeria acropolitana flourishes undisturbed.