TREES FROM WESTERN MACEDONIA, GREECE

ΛΕΥΚΑ -BLACK POPLAR-POPULUS NIGRA

There are many species of poplar. The black poplar is native to Europe. It is a deciduous tree, 20-30m tall. The leaves are diamond -shaped to triangular .The male and the female flowers are catkins. The fruit is a capsule surrounded by tufts of long, soft, white hairs.

Populus nigra and its related hybrids are widely used for their fast-growing and high quality timber. One common use for black poplar wood is in the manufacture of matches.

ΠΛΑΤΑΝΙ- ORIENTAL PLANE- PLATANUS ORIENTALIS.

It is a large, deciduous tree. It is native from the Balkans to Iran. The oriental plane is found naturally in riverine settings. Its leaves are borne alternately on the stem, deeply lobed, and palmate or maple -like. Flowers and fruit are round and burr-like, borne in clusters of between 2 and 6 on a stem.It is known for its longevity and for the shade and cooliness it provides during the hot season. Most small villages in Greece have one or more very old planes in their central

squares where the village water spring used to be.

.ΚΑΡΥΔΙΑ - WALNUT TREE -JUGLANS REGIA

The Walnut tree is a large deciduous tree, 25-35m tall with a trunk up to 2m diameter. It is native in a region stretching from the Balkans eastward to the Himalayas and southwest China.

It lives up to 250 years. The leaves are 25-40cm long, odd pinnate with 5—9 leaflets. The fruit ripens in the autumn into a fruit with a green husk and a brown corrugated nut. It is cultivated for its nuts and timber.

The European beech is a big , deciduous tree, up to 35m tall. Around the Mediterranean , it grows only in mountain forests, at 600-1.800m altitude. The leaves are alternate, simple with a slightly crenate margin 5-10cm long. The beechnuts, are small triangular nuts 15–20 mm long and 7–10 mm wide at the base. There are two nuts in each cupule. The nuts are an important food for birds and rodents. The wood is used in the manufacture of objects.

ΟΞΙΑ- EUROPEAN BEECH- FAGUS SYLVATICA

ΒΕΛΑΝΙΔΙΑ- MACEDONIAN OAK TREE- QUERCUS TROJANA.

The genus Quercus contains about 600 species. The Macedonian Oak Tree is native to southeast Europe and southwest Asia. It grows at low to moderate altitudes in dry areas. It is a small to medium sized tree 10-20m tall. It is a deciduous tree with grey-green leaves with a coarsely serrated margin. The oak nut or acorn usually contains a single seed enclosed in a tough , leathery shell. The oak wood has strength and hardness and it is used in the construction of furniture , ships and barrels. It is a rare species and it is found only in few places in Greece.

ΕΛΑΤΗ ΥΒΡΙΔΟΓΕΝΗΣ-BULGARIAN FIR-ABIES BORISII REGIS

The Bulgarian Fir is a species of fir native to the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula,. It occurs at altitudes of 800-1,800 m, on mountains with a rainfall of over 1,000 mm.It is a large evergreen coniferous tree 40-50m tall. The leaves are needle – like, flattened , glossy, dark green above , and with two blue-white bands of stomata below. The cones are 10-21cm long with about 150-200 scales.

ΣΚΛΗΘΡΟ- EUROPEAN ALDER-ALNUS GLUTINOSA

It is native in Europe. There are 30 species but only one species grow in Greece. It grows to a height of 20-30m . It has short-stalked rounded leaves 6-10cm long. The young leaves are slightly sticky with a resinous gym. The male catkins are pendulous, reddish in colour and 5–10 cm long. The female are smaller, 2 cm in length and dark brown to black in colour, hard, somewhat woody, and similar to some conifer cones. Its wood is soft and durable under water.

KΑΣΤΑΝΙΑ- SWEET CHESTNUT-CASTANEA SATIVA

The sweet chestnut is a deciduous tree, up to 35m tall. Originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia , it is now widely dispersed throughout Europe. It grows best at altitudes above 250m and it lives up to 450 years. Its leaves are oblong-lanceolate, boldly toothed . The female flowers develop into spiny cupules containing 3-7 brownish nuts that are shed during October.

It is cultivated for its edible seeds, the nuts , and its timber which is used to make furniture.

ΡΟΜΠΟΛΟ-BOSNIAN PINE- PINUS HEIDREICHII

● The Bosnian Pine is a species of pine that occurs in the mountains of southeastern Europe. It grows at 900-2.500m altitude. It is an evergreen tree up to 25-35m height.The leaves are in fascicles of two with a persistent sheath. The cones are 5-9cm long with a thin, fragile scales. It is an endangered species in Greece.