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Oral Lectures
54
GEOPHYTIC WEEDS IN THE TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE OF
CRETE
Nicholas TURLAND
Missouri Botanical Garden nicholas.turland@mobot.org
Changes in land use during the 20th century, including the adoption of modern farming methods,
have rendered traditionally cultivated cereal fields a rare and still declining habitat in many parts
of the Euro-Mediterranean area. The South Aegean island of Crete (Kriti) is chosen to illustrate
the rich assemblage of non-invasive Mediterranean weeds – including numerous geophytes – that
occur in such habitats. Several of these taxa are ecologically specialized, and can be regarded as
‘obligate weeds of traditional agriculture’, in contrast to the less specialized (facultative) weeds,
which can tolerate a wider variety of cultivation methods and can rapidly colonize newly
cultivated land. The obligate weeds are among the most threatened plants in the Euro-
Mediterranean area. Using them as indicators, ‘hot spots’ of diversity where traditional
agriculture is still practised can be reliably identified. One locality, the Katharo plain in eastern
Crete, is probably the richest on the island. It is recommended that it be made the focus of
practical conservation efforts as a matter of urgency.
Keywords: conservation, Crete, geophytes, traditional agriculture, weed
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