The vegetation of the island is similar to the rest of the Northern Sporades islands. Due to geographic position and climate, Alonissos has a wide variety of vegetation zones, forming shrublands, forests and meadows of different species composition. Human presence (agriculture, animal grazing, etc) also plays an important role in shaping the vegetation zones of the island, with the widespread olive groves and vineyards being excellent examples. In general, we distinguish 6 main vegetation zones on Alonissos. Due to short-term variations, however, these zones are not entirely distinct.
Mediterranean Aleppo Pine Forests
The most widespread forest type on Alonissos is formed by Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis), occupying large areas at the south-western and central parts of the island. Pine forests occur from sea level to approximately 350 m asl. They begin as particularly intense at the westernmost parts, slowly fading at the central part of the island, before being replaced by other habitat types. The shrub layer of pine forests is very often covered by dense maquis or ferns, depending on local humidity.
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| Pine forest |
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| Pine forest |
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| Pine forest |
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| Hills covered by pine forests |
Oak Forests
Forests formed by Holm Oak (Quercus spp.) dominate the higher elevations of central and north-eastern Alonissos. They are usually closed, low canopy forests, often bordered by open shrublands. They are present from sea level to 450 m asl, although they are mostly typical of altitudes above 300 m asl. Their lower layers are usually under heavy grazing by goats. Other trees are commonly present as single stands within holm oak forests, such as Cretan Maple (Acer sempervirens).
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| Oak forest |
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| Oak forest |
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| Oak forest |
Thermo-Mediterranean Maquis
Perhaps the most common vegetation type present throughout the island. Thermoxeric maquis is composed by a large list of evergreen shrub species, with the most typical examples being Mastic Trees (Pistacia lentiscus), Kermes Oak (Quercus coccifera), Strawberry Trees (Arbutus spp.), Carob Trees (Ceratonia siliqua), Olive Trees (Olea europaea), Common Myrtle (Myrtus communis), Green Olive Trees (Phillyrea latifolia), Phoenicean Juniper (Juniperus phoenicea), Heath (Erica spp.), Bay Trees (Laurus nobilis) and others. Dense maquis covers most of the island's surface, from sea level to approximately 450 m asl.
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| Maquis |
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| Maquis |
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| Maquis |
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| Hillsides covered by maquis |
Phrygana
Phrygana are the east-mediterranean version of garrigue and are characterized by low thermoxeric shrublands consisting of thorny shrubs and other low flowering plants. Although they occur throughout the whole island, they are mainly typical of the more arid areas, such as rocky shores, beaches, hillsides, small offshore islets, as well as the higher elevations (above 450 m asl.). The most characteristic species composing phrygana are Thorny Bournets (Sarcopoterium spinosum), Spiny Spurges (Euphorbia acanthothamnos), Jerusalem Sage (Phlomis fruticosa), Conehead Thyme (Thymus capitatus), Spiny Broom (Callicotome villosa), Greek Sage (Salvia fruticosa), Rock Rose (Cistus spp.) and several others.
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| Phrygana in an olive grove |
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| Rock rose Cistus creticus |
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| Thorny Bournet Sarcopoterium spinosum |
Cultivated land
On Alonissos, cultivations mainly consist of orchards and vineyards. Olive groves cover a considerable area of the island's surface, stretching all the way from the westernmost, to the easternmost parts of the island. They are present as large cultivated orchards or smaller olive tree stands within other types of vegetation and are largely used for oil production. Vineyards are mainly present near settlements, especially at south-western Alonissos. Other common cultivated tree species are Fig Trees, Orange Trees, Pear Trees, Apricot Trees and Almond Trees, which are usually limited to individual trees rather than whole orchards. Cultivated areas are often mixed with riparian vegetation.
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| Cultivated land with olive groves and vineyards |
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| Agricultural area |
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| Olive groves |
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| Olive groves |
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| Agricultural area |
Riparian zone and Mediterranean salt meadows
Hydrophilic plants form dense riparian vegetation around water sources, especially intermittent streams and river beds. These zones are often found within cultivated areas, pine forests or maquis and are characterized by plants like Reeds, Ferns and dense shrublands of species like Brambles (Rubus sanctus). In addition, meditteranean salt meadows formed by wetland species such as Sand Dropseed (Sporolobus pungens) and Rushes (Juncus spp.) exist at the seasonal lagoon of Agios Dimitrios.
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| Reeds |
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| Ferns and Brambles Rubus sanctus |
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| Agios Dimitrios lagoon |
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