Filenews 26 September 2021 - by Angelos Nikolaou
The beauty of Cypriot nature gathered in the heart of the Troodos mountain range with the primary aim of protecting, preserving, presenting and highlighting the botanical heritage of Cyprus. The result, however, was unique, since a botanical garden was created that can function in parallel as a place of research, training and recreation and as a means of restoring a significant part of the Amiantos Mine.
The Troodos Botanical Garden "A.G. Leventis" was created by the Department of Forests of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, on the outskirts of the old Amiantos Mine, within the boundaries of the Troodos National Forest Park, at an altitude of 1,400 meters. Extending into a beautiful space, the Garden, which was inaugurated in May 2010, has as a reference area the wider Troodos mountain range and includes mainly native, but also some selected foreign and cultivated plants. The works for the creation of the Garden began in 2004, with the restoration of the mine building for its use as a Visitor Center and as an office. The enrichment of the Garden with new material is continuous and its expansion is expected to continue. It is estimated that its total area will reach about 30 acres. It is important to mention that the Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation has, to date, contributed an amount exceeding €350,000 for the creation and operation of the Garden.
The Botanical Garden is managed by the Department of Forests and is permanently staffed with trained forest staff, as well as with temporary hourly-paid staff, depending on the needs.
The Department of Forests, with the creation of the Botanical Garden, set as main objectives the protection and conservation of endangered plant species, the development of research programs on flora and phyto-sociality, the enlightenment of the public, the education of groups of children of all ages, the increase of recreation opportunities and the enhancement of the tourist product.
The Garden, as a living organism, is active in order to operate and upgrade it more effectively. It participates in European projects (e.g. LIFE+) and collaborates with various universities on conservation actions, such as the installation of endangered plants in botanical gardens and the creation of a conservation bank for the genetic material of rare plants, as well as plants at risk from climate change and fires. The seeds, after undergoing special treatment, are stored at low temperatures and can be kept for up to 200 years.
What's in the Botanical Garden
The Troodos Botanical Garden "A.G. Leventis" includes the Department of Endemic Plants, the Department of Riparian Vegetation, the Department of Aromatic and Traditional Garden Plants, the Department of Rare and Endangered Plants, the Department of Traditional Agricultural Plants, the Seed Bank, the Dendrona, the Botany And the Visitors' Center. Today, in the Garden there are about 500 species of plants, but in the future this number will exceed 1,000 species.
In the Garden there are also two small lakes for the riparian vegetation, a point with a telescope for views of Pitsilia and the east side of Troodos, an outdoor activity area that can be used as a small picnic area, a network of pavements with signs, benches, fountains, parking lots, toilets, etc.
Below, the basic parts that compose this extremely beautiful, but mainly useful, creation are briefly described, one by one.
- Department of Endemic Plants: One of the most interesting parts of the Botanical Garden is the Department of Endemic Plants which includes endemic species of Cyprus and mainly the wider Troodos mountain range. This section is located in the central square of the Garden and is designed in such a way as to highlight the unique endemic flora wealth of the area. The main plants that one can meet here are the Scilla (Scilla lochiae), the Cypriot cyclamen (Cyclamen cyprium), the Aphrodite's Spurge (Euphorbia veneris), the Mannouthkia (Pterocephalus multiflorus), the Arkolasmarin (Ptilostemon chamaepeuce subsp cyprius), the Skaviose (Lomelosia cyprica), the Troodos wild pure Dianthus (Dianthus strictus subsp. troodi), the Cypriot cedar (Cedrus brevifolia), the Saponaria (Saponaria cypria), the wild rose of Troodos (Rosa micrantha susp. chionistrae) and Skoutellaria (Scutellaria cypria subsp. cypria).
- Riparian and Aquatic Vegetation Section: The riparian vegetation has been installed along an artificial stream and around two lakes with a total capacity of 500 tons of water, which are connected to the stream. The water starts from one lake, located at the highest point of the Garden, falls from a small waterfall and pours into the second lake. The riparian vegetation includes native and endemic species such as the River-Haitan (Mentha longifolia subsp. cyprica), the Bell tree (Campanula peregrina), the Plane tree (Platanus orientalis) and the Alder (Alnus orientalis).
- Dendronas: The vast majority of plants in the Garden are trees. An attempt has been made to group families together, but this has not always been possible, due to the different ecological requirements, the size, as well as the different forms of development of the different species. In dendronas, the visitor can observe a wide variety of tree species. In particular, angiosperms such as Oak (Quercus infectoria subsp) are found here. veneris), the Golden Oak (Quercus alnifolia), the Black Poplar (Populus nigra), the White Alba (Populus alba), the Maple (Acertus obifolium), the Mulberry (Morus alba), the Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) and the Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), as well as conifers such as the Stone Pine (Pinus pinea), the Turkish Pine (Pinus brutia), the Black Pine (Pinus nigra), Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), Cilician Fir (Abies cilicica) and Sequoia (Sequoia sempervirens).
- Department of Aromatic and Garden Plants: This Section extends around the Visitors' Centre and includes aromatic species used in the traditional pharmacy, aromatic and cooking of our country, as well as traditional ornamental plants used in the Cypriot garden. The main species found in the Department are Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Sideritis (Sideritis perfoliiata), Greek Sage (Salvia fruticosa), Honeysuckle (Lonicera etrusca), Oregano (Origanum dubium) and Evening Primrose (Oenothera erythrosepala).
- Seed Bank: The Seed Bank is located within the building where the new offices of the Amyantos Forest Station are housed. This building was the new offices of the mining company of Amiantos and has been renovated by the Department of Forests. The purpose of this bank is the preservation of genetic material (seed) of various plants of the Cypriot flora, outside the natural area of their spread. The bank began its operation in January 2015 and so far consists of two rooms, the seed cleaning laboratory and the chamber hall. It includes a dehumidifier, a gentle cooling chamber (2 to 4 C°) and a deep cooling chamber (minus 15 to minus 18 C°). In the near future, the bank will be expanded and another room with vegetative chambers and an office will be added to it. The project was funded by the funds of the LIFE JUNIPERCY programme. Today, the bank hosts about 200 collections of seeds from various plant species of Cyprus, such as the Cypriot cedar (Cedrus brevifolia), the Juniper (Juniperus foeditissima), the Greek Juniper (Juniperus excelsa), the Snowdrop (Scilla lochiae), the Cypriot tulip (Tulipa cypria), the Rock Rose (Cistus creticus), the Myrtle (Myrtus communis), the Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus) etc.
- Department of Traditional Agricultural Products: It is located at the lowest point of the Botanical Garden and one can visit it by descending the large stone staircase behind the Visitors' Centre. This department includes various traditional agricultural species planted in the wider Troodos mountain range, such as apple trees (Malus domestica), pear trees (Pyrus communis), peach trees (Prunus persica), apricot trees (Prunus armeniaca), almond trees (Prunus dulcis), cherry trees (Prunus avium), fig trees (Ficus carica), quince trees (Cydonia oblonga) etc.
- Department of Rare and Endangered Species: It is the newest Department of the Botanical Garden and is under construction. It is found at the highest point of the Garden. Some species of plants have not yet been planted in it. Several rare and endangered plant species of Cyprus, however, such as the potentilla recta, the spatzia of Jerusalem (Salvia hierosolymitana), the centaurea of Akamas (Centaurea akamantis), the aravis of Kennedyae (Arabis kennedyae), the ophioglossum vulgatum and the anthrax of Tangier (Ferula tingitana), have been planted in various other parts of the Garden.
