This page excludes ornamental trees and those cultivated for their crops, such as citrus, carob, prunus, nuts etc. One exception is the olive, which has a considerable number of wild varieties which are mostly probably hybrids and are of no commercial value.

A tree is defined as having a single wooden stem rising from the root, whereas a shrub has multiple stems.

Before humans came to the island some 12,000 or so years ago, Cyprus was covered by a mixed forest with many species of trees, possibly five times as many as there are today. Some 4000 years ago, men started to exploit copper ore, for which they required large amounts of charcoal to smelt the metal. Although I cannot substantiate it, I have read that the amount of charcoal that must have been used from the discovery of copper through to the last century must have required 12 times the surface area of woodlands as that of the whole island. Even if this is an exaggeration, there is no doubt that the forests were regularly converted into charcoal. This changed the whole flora and fauna of the island, from a semi-tropical rainforest with many essences to a more or less monoculture of fast-growing wood.

From a few hundred BC, to the 16th or 17th century, Cyprus was a renowned ship building and repairing island. This also required large quantities of wood, both hard and soft, again with considerable wastage of forest .

Finally, the death knell of natural forest was sounded by the introduction of goats by man. These animals stripped the bark off the trees and thus killed them. The result is the typical scrubland, maquis or garrigue that is so familiar today; a far cry from the forests that used to cover the same land.

The point is that the number of species of trees and shrubs has been reduced, perhaps even by an order of magnitude. Monocultures of pines or, for that matter, any other species is dangerous as has been seen in other countries by such diseases as Dutch elm disease, which has totally annihilated elm trees in many countries. This may be exacerbated by the introduction of species from far-off countries.

Conifers

The great majority of trees in Cyprus are coniferous and have been planted.

Pines

The commonest tree on the island is Pinus brutia, whose forests cover hundreds of square kilometres. Unfortunately, there is considerable confusion between this tree and Pinus halepensis, which is closely related and can hybridise. Both species have a variety of English names, some of which overlap. P. brutia, which grows essentially in the eastern Mediterranean areas, is most frequently known in English as the Calabrian, East Mediterranean or Turkish Pine, even though it is not native to Calabria! P.halepensis is often known as the Aleppo Pine, even though brutia is the only pine that grows in northern Syria! This species grows mainly in the western Mediterranean and North African mountainous areas. To make matters worse, a number of taxonomists consider that brutia is a subspecies of halepensis. As a result of this confusion, I shall refrain from using any English name and refer to them by their Latin names.

Pinus brutia is a rapidly growing pine normally reaching 20 to 25 m, although larger specimens are known. It reproduces easily, with wind-blown pollen from the male flowers profusely seen in the spring. The seeds are held in large cones which open in hot weather and may be blown considerable distances. These germinate readily in many varieties of soil. Good forest management dictates frequent thinning of seedlings to promote good growth. Because the discarded long needles and the residues from the male flowers tend to cover the ground, there is little undergrowth in the denser forests. They grow in the Troodos forest up to altitudes of about 1500 m.

Pinus brutia is host to a variety of pests, the most visible one being the Pine Processionary Moth (Thaumetopoeidae pityocampa). This moth lays its eggs in the autumn on needles and these hatch into a mass of caterpillars which weave a pendulous nest of silk. They eat the pine needles, stripping whole branches and even small trees. In the winter, the caterpillars migrate in a processionary column down the trunk and onto the ground where they seek some form of underground passage where they can pupate. These caterpillars are urticarial and may cause anaphylactic shock; they should therefore be avoided. Marchalina hellenica is an insect that lives by sucking the sap of pine trees. It secretes honeydew, which bees collect to produce pine honey. However, heavy infestation can damage or kill a tree. Another pest which has the potential for causing considerable damage is a bostrych coleopter called the Mediterranean Pine Engraver Beetle (Orthotomicus erosus). Other coleopters are also known to be harmful to these trees.

The commonest pine at high altitudes, in the Troodos region, is the Black Pine (Pinus nigra). These form an impressive, fairly open, tall forest right up almost to the summit of Mount Olympus. Unfortunately, the military installations have destroyed some of this forest.

Cedar

The Cyprus Cedar (Cedrus brevifolia or Cedrus libani brevifolia) is an endemic species, but there is again a taxonomic discussion as to whether it is a separate species in its own right or a subspecies of the Lebanese Cedar, hence the alternative scientific names. As the Latin name suggests, it is distinguished by its short leaves or needles. These are typically 5 to 10 mm shorter than those of its Lebanese cousin. This is an endangered species found only in a few places within the Paphos Forest. Unfortunately, one of the largest stands has become a tourist attraction with a consequent risk of forest fire. If this happened, the future of the species may be considered doubtful.

The needles themselves, some as short as 8 mm, grow in whorls, along spreading horizontal branches; they are coated in a kind of waxy substance, which gives them a glaucous blue-green appearance. The tree itself can grow to a considerable height, exceeding 30 m, with a wide trunk; along with the spread, this gives older trees a massive visual impact.

Cypress

There are several species of Cypress in Cyprus, but they are possibly mostly escapees from ornamental cultivars. One well-known planted example can be found just off the A1 and B1 roads between Nisou and Mosfiloti, where there are two attractive hillocks, each with a few so-called 'Italian' Cypresses, amongst other trees. These are a fastigiate (branches parallel to the trunk) variety of Cupressus semperivivens. These trees are often planted in graveyards.

Casuarina

Strictly speaking, the casuarina trees are not conifers, which are usually defined as softwood pines, cedars, firs and cypresses. The casuarinas are ironwood trees, native to Australia and South-East Asia, with an appearance rather like a straggly pine and they do bear cones, so the confusion is understandable. They are characterised by leaf scales along thin branches, giving a casual look rather like pine needles. Along with various eucalyptus species, the Casuarina, known in and outside Australia as the Australian Pine, Beach Sheoak or Common Ironwood (Casuarina equisetifolia) was introduced into Cyprus in the late 19th century to assist in wetland drainage as a measure to reduce malaria. It is most often found as deliberately planted trees for whatever reason but there are probably naturally propagated trees in some places. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Broad-leaved trees

Golden Oak

 From the point of view of the naturalist, the Golden Oak (Quercus alnifolia) is, by far, the most important broad-leafed tree in Cyprus. It is endemic to small areas on the Troodos massif, favouring rocky volcanic soil. It is very highly protected at both local and European levels. Unlike most oaks, it is a small tree, often growing as a shrub. It rarely exceeds 9 or 10 m in height. It gains its English name by the colour of the underside of its leaves. Its elongated acorns are held in a frilled cup and it may be that it has survived because the acorns are reputed to be very bitter; it could be the goats and sheep reject them. Unlike the oaks of Northern Europe, the Golden Oak is evergreen, in common with other Mediterranean oaks. It is the national tree of Cyprus.

Acorns and foliage of Quercus alnifolia. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, some rights reserved.

Eucalyptus

Of the 800 or so Eucalyptus species that grow in Australasia, about 10 have been introduced into Cyprus, not counting some ornamental species. Many of these have become naturalised. They were introduced to assist in marsh drainage and thus reduce malaria. One notable example of these planted trees can be seen between the Paphos and Famagusta gates on the south side of the Nicosia moat. Some of these trees are over 100 years old and have grown to about 40 m in height, with corresponding bole diameters. It is possible that these large trees are E. tereticornis. Smaller species are also used for marsh drainage. Unfortunately, there is a negative side, then that these trees have deep tap roots which can reduce the amount of water available in aquifers. The introduction of exotic species sometimes has unexpected side effects; in this case, a cottage industry of the distillation of eucalyptus oil from the leaves became quite important for the economy of the island at one time. The oil is a mixture of various terpenes and terpenoids and is considered as an important medicinal and herbalist product. On the other hand, the natural evaporation of terpenes from the leaves during hot weather exacerbates the quantities of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. These can photochemically react with nitrous oxide from vehicle exhausts to produce high levels of tropospheric ozone, which is a health hazard. The ozone levels in Nicosia frequently exceed the recommended maximum in summer, and this may be partly attributed to the presence of eucalyptus trees.

Golden Wattle ("Mimosa")

There are two similar and closely related species of Golden Wattle (Acacia saligna and Acacia pycnantha), another import from Australia. It is often referred to as Mimosa, but this is incorrect because it does not belong to the Genus. It has become widely naturalised in Cyprus, as well as being planted as a windbreak (e.g., alongside motorways) or as a hedge, and provides a splash of spectacular yellow for two weeks or so in the spring. They can grow either as trees or shrubs, generally to heights under 3 to 4 m. A. saligna is very useful in stabilising soil, particularly fine sand. A good example of this can be found amongst the ruins of Salamis, north of Famagusta, helped by its tolerance to some presence of salt. It is also fire-resistant and is among the first plants to mature after a wildfire.

Golden Wattle (Acacia saligna). Photo:  Wikimedia Commons, some rights reserved.

Wild Olive

It is doubtful whether the true Wild Olive (Olea europaea) really exists. It is much more probable that the trees we see as wild have propagated from domesticated cultivars. That having been said, these escapees have reverted to a wild condition, with fruit that is really unsuitable either for oil production or for the table. It is probable that many of these trees have grown from seed; as the domestic olives are mostly hybrid, it is unlikely that they would propagate true to form.

These trees rarely exceed 5 m in height. The foliage is slightly smaller in length than the domestic counterparts but retain the silvery aspect familiar in a breeze. The fruit is elongated and small, although the pit is proportionally larger than that of the domestic cultivars, with comparatively little flesh. Olive trees are noted for their longevity, 1000 years not being exceptional and cases have been recorded exceeding 2000 years or longer. However, these long-lived trees have usually been carefully nurtured. It is doubtful whether wild trees would normally exceed a lifetime of a few hundred years before the main trunk rotted.

The quality of the wood is similar to that of the domestic olives and is excellent for carving, furniture making or as a slow burning fuel. When newly cut, it has a distinctive and very pleasant odour. The Wild Olive has no commercial value.