The forest areas are scattered throughout the Corfu olive grove while they cover large parts of the mountainous areas. The main local forest species are:
Cypress
After the olive, the cypress is the most characteristic tree of the Corfu landscape and often forms cypress groves. The beauty of the Corfu landscape owes a lot to the coexistence of cypress and olive trees.
Pines
In some parts of the island, there are pine forests consisting mainly of pine and Aleppo pine.
Mediterranean Vegetation Macchia (Maquis)
The majority of forest areas in Corfu consist of dense evergreen plant communities, mainly shrubs and small trees called Macia . The term maquis originated in the coastal regions of France or Corsica and is used internationally (in French and Portuguese as maquis, in English as maquis shrubland, in Italian as macchia mediterranea, etc.)..
The most important types of these plant communities are:
Cedar Trees
In the lagoon of Korission, there are two thickets consisting of indigenous junipers (cedar forests). These are centuries-old trees which, together with other forest species, create one of the best habitats on the sand dunes.
Wildflowers
In addition to the tree and bush vegetation, the Corfu nature is home to an abundance of wildflowers that bloom throughout the year, adding colorful notes to the endless touches of green.
Centaurea paxorum, Dianthus sylvestris subsp longicaulis, Crucianella maritima, Galium ionicum and Cerastium illyricum subsp illyricum.
Other important species are Alkanna corcyrensis, Cerastium brachypetalum subsp corcyrense, Stachys mollissima, Stachys ocymastrum, Veronica panormitana, the fritillaries Fritillaria thessala subsp ionica and Fritillaria messanensis subsp gracilis, the lilies Lilium candidum and Lilium chalcedonicum, Helosciadium inundatum, Heptaptera colladonioides, Seseli montanum subsp tommasinii, Ornithogalum ulixis, Muscari tenuiflorum, Achillea ligustica, Artemisia vulgaris, Centaurea sonchifolia, Crepis vesicaria subsp taraxacifolia, Inula verbascifolia subsp verbascifolia, Silene cephallenia subsp cephallenia and Silene fuscata, Convolvulus lineatus, Linum pubescens subsp sibthorpianum, Orobanche sanguinea, Sedum eriocarpum subsp epiroticum and Teucrium halacsyanum.
The vegetation is complemented by species such as Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp reginae-olgae, Narcissus obsoletus and Narcissus tazetta, Sea lily Pancratium maritimum, Echinophora spinosa, Arum italicum subsp italicum, Bellevalia romana, Scilla hyacinthoides , Ageratina adenophora, Cladanthus mixtus, Ptilostemon stellatus, Brassica cretica subsp aegaea, Erysimum cephalonicum, Solenopsis laurentia, Cephalaria leucantha, Silene bellidifolia, Colchicum confusum and Colchicum haynaldii, Calystegia soldanella, Phedimus stellatus, Hypericum spruneri, Crocus boryi and Iris pseudacorus.
Orchids
occupy a prominent place in the list of Corfu wild flowers . To date, about 36 different species and subspecies have been recorded. The most important species are Anacamptis laxiflora, Anacamptis palustris, Cephalanthera damasonium, Cephalanthera longifolia, Cephalanthera rubra, Dactylorhiza romana, Himantoglossum jankae, Neotinea ustulata, Orchis anthropophora, Orchis pauciflora, Orchis provincialis, Orchis simia, Platanthera bifolia, Serapias cordigera, Serapias ionica , Serapias politisii, Ophrys apifera, Ophrys bertolonii, Ophrys cephalonica, Ophrys forestieri, Ophrys gottfriediana, Ophrys grammica, Ophrys helenae, Ophrys herae and Ophrys reinholdii.
