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The flora of Cyprus is various enough to please everyone., from the visitor who just wants to see valleys full of anemones to the serious botanist who would like to identify 400 plus specimens during their couple of weeks stay.

Undoubtedly spring is the time for everyone who wants to see the most prolific colour and greatest variety. Late February through to the end of April are the best months and even then flower availability will be subject to the rainfall (or lack of it) and temperature. Excessive heat in April can bring about an early end to the flowering period of several species particularly the anemones.

Wildflowers

However, there are wildflowers that continue flowering well into May and June. Among these are the monk’s cowl or friar’s cowl (arisarum vulgare) the endlessly abundant yellow oxalis (oxalis pescaprae) which is an agricultural nuisance growing in the orchards and arable fields. The verges and hillsides are awash with colour from the wild cistus (rock rose) that flowers from January to June.

The sage leafed rock rose (cistus salviifolius) is white with a yellow centre, the flower somewhat resembling a lightly poached egg, and when not in bloom the bushes look like wild sage, hence its Latin name. The taurus rock rose (cistus creticus tauricus) is a deap purple/pink, papery thin petaled flower with a much darker leaf and the pink rock rose (cistus creticus tauricus) has a quite dark pink flower and greyish green leaf. Like the cistus salviifolius, these latter two types also have bright yellow stamens at their centre

Trees

The diversity of wild and cultivated tree species of Cyprus is basically determined by climate, soil, topography and human factors. Due to the geographic position, the island features a large number of different vegetation species.
Also the history of the island plays important role in the diversity of species. As a former British colony, Cyprus was given a rich variety of the seeds and samplings that imperial officers cruising between Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa brought with them.
With Cyprus falling in the area of subtropical (East Mediterranean) climate, its natural vegetation is affected by rainfall, humidity and temperature factors. The fact that the Kyrenia range makes a thin line along the north coast causes a contrast in heat and humidity between the coast and the interior and thus due to the landscape that is varied in its altitude, in Cyprus the three different vegetation zones are distinguished.