Photo ↑ by @on_movement_photography
You do not necessarily need to be a phytophile to admire rare plants. Instead, it is mainly about the idea of appreciating plants you cannot really see everywhere.
From this point of view, Corfu has an incredibly diversified flora, offering access to all kinds of plants. Here are some of the most interesting ones to keep an eye out for while exploring the island.
Wild Orchids
Wild orchids can be found all over Corfu. In fact, you may as well find them along the road as you drive or perhaps while having a wild walk. Easy to find during the spring, they come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colours.
To those with no interest in plants, wild orchids will easily go unnoticed. But if you are really interested in something rare, you can find more than 50 different species of wild orchids in Corfu. They are considered aphrodisiacs and have a rich history in the local culture.
Local Mushrooms
Mushrooms tend to turn up during the rainy season, so they are pretty common in fall and winter. Like wild orchids, Corfiot mushrooms pop up in different shapes and colours. Some of them are harmless or delicious. Others can be fatal.
Most people believe mushrooms are plants, only because they come from the ground. The truth is they are not, but they belong to the fungi category. Should you decide to pick wild mushrooms, make sure you know what they are doing and keep safe.
Wicker
The wicker is widely available all over Greece and not just Corfu. It comes as a shrub and is so common that most people simply overlook it. The wicker bush tends to grow around wet areas, such as rivers, lagoons or wetlands.
It blooms throughout the summer and fall and offers a colourful view wherever it is. Some people grow wicker in pots too. Its name is given because of its flexibility, so it is often used to make baskets too. From a more scientific point of view, wicker is known as lygaria bush.
Prickly Goldenfleece
The prickly goldenfleece is considered a weed, mainly because it invades everything and spreads pretty fast too. It is also part of what the Greeks refer to as lachana. Such plants are considered cheap and grow everywhere, but they are also rich in all kinds of nutrients.
For instance, the prickly goldenfleece is rich in many vitamins, including vitamin C, but also in iron and calcium. It is great in salads, but also in appetizers. It is not that common in the tourist season. Locals collect it between autumn and spring.
Mastic Tree
The mastic tree is well known around Corfu for its flowers, but also for the resin, which releases an incredibly nice aroma. Growing as a shrub or small tree, it normally blossoms throughout the spring season.
The mastic tree can grow both in forests and on sand dunes. In Corfu, you can find it everywhere. Hang around the Lake Korission and you will find it there, but you can also spot it while climbing on Mount Pantokrator.