Phrygana

What looks like a barren and arid landscape is covered by phrygana, with a wide variety of species. Many of them, such as thyme, sage and “ladania” are useful, fragrant and medicinal plants, used since ancient times. Thyme (Thymus capitatus) is the most financially important native species in Kythera, since its nectar produces the famous thyme honey of Kythera. Traditionally, dry ”phrygana” are used for kindling, while, due to the thorns that carry many of them, were also used as doors or fences in caves or dry stone walls for the protection of goats and sheep. These plants adapted to dry and hot summer and grow in barren places up to 300 meters altitude, even in degraded areas after fires.