Ravine Vegetation

In this forgotten ravine, in Paliovoskina, nature is pristine, with characteristic high maquis vegetation, which has not been degraded by fires or grazing. Maquis is the characteristic Mediterranean bushy vegetation. Maquis covers large areas, about 40% of the island, in all lengths and widths of Kythera, often tangled with the lowest brushwood. The evergreen, sclerophillous bushes that consist the maquis are so dense that in places they form impenetrable walls. Many of these species have a deep root system, adapted to barren soils and the long summer drought period. At this point, dominant species are heather (Erica manipuliflora), skinos (Pistacia lentiscus) and yew (Quercus coccifera).