bellflower

The Cretan bellflower (Campanula Cretica) is one of the most beautiful wild flowers of Crete and at the same time is one of the most rare and endangered endemic plants on the island. Despite the fact Greece is home to 70 bellflower species, making Greece as the country with the largest variety, this is met only in a small geographical area of the White Mountains, mainly Samaria Gorge, and elsewhere in the world.

It prefers the calcareous soils of the White Mountains and usually grows on steep rocks and cliffs in small numbers. It lives in altitudes from 50 to 1700 meters. The flowers are quite large, and their color is white and sometimes approaches light purple. The period of flowering of the Cretan bell starts in June and ends in September, or even October. The plant can sometimes overcome a height of 50 cm in lower altitudes.