List of endemic plants of Cyprus

Last updated September 25, 2025

Cyprus is home to several dozen endemic species and subspecies of plants.^[1] The World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions treats Cyprus as a botanical country.

Amaranthaceae

Bosea cypria Boiss. ex Hook.f.

Amaryllidaceae

Allium autumnale P.H.Davis
Allium cupani subsp. cyprium Meikle
Allium cyprium Brullo
- Allium cyprium subsp. cyprium – Troödos Mts.
- Allium cyprium subsp. lefkarense (Brullo, Pavone & Salmeri) Christodoulou & Hand
Allium exaltatum (Meikle) Brullo, Pavone, Salmeri & Venora
Allium marathasicum Brullo, Pavone & Salmeri
Allium meikleanum Brullo, Pavone & Salmeri
Allium willeanum Holmboe

Apicaceae

Bupleurum sintenisii Asch. & Urb. ex Huter – east-central and southeastern Cyprus
Dichoropetalum kyriakae (Hadjik. & Alziar) Hand & Hadjik
Pimpinella cypria Boiss.
Scaligeria alziarii Hand, Hadjik. & Zetzsche

Araceae

Arum cylindraceum subsp. pitsyllianum Hadjik.

Araliaceae

Hedera cypria McAll. – Troödos Mts.

Asparagaceae

Ornithogalum chionophilum Holmboe – Troödos Mts.
Ornithogalum pedicellare Boiss. & Kotschy
Scilla lochiae (Meikle) Speta – Troödos Mts.
Scilla morrisii Meikle – Troödos Mts.

Asteraceae

Anthemis plutonia Meikle
- Anthemis plutonia var. artemisioides (Holmboe) Oberpr. & Vogt
- Anthemis plutonia var. plutonia
Anthemis tricolor Boiss.
Carlina pygmaea Holmboe
Centaurea akamantis T.Georgiadis & Hadjik
Centaurea calcitrapa subsp. angusticeps (H.Lindb.) Meikle
Centaurea cyprensis (Holub) T.Georgiadis
Cicerbita cyprica (Rech.f.) M.Güzel – Troodos Mts.
Cynara makrisii Hand & Hadjik
Lactuca tetrantha B.L.Burtt & P.H.Davis – Troodos Mts.
Onopordum cyprium Eig
Pseudopodospermum troodeum (Boiss.) Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian
Ptilostemon chamaepeuce var. cyprius Greuter
Senecio glaucus subsp. cyprius – western and southwestern Cyprus
Taraxacum aphrogenes Meikle – southwestern Cyprus
Taraxacum holmboei H.Lindb. – Troodos Mts.

Boraginaceae

Brassicaceae

Arabis cypria Holmboe – northern and northeastern Cyprus
Arabis kennedyae Meilke – western Cyprus
Arabis purpurea Sm. – Troödos Mts.
Erysimum kykkoticum Hadjik. & Alziar
Noccaea cypria (Bornm.) F.K.Mey. – western Cyprus
Odontarrhena akamasica (B.L.Burtt) Španiel, Al-Shehbaz, D.A.German & Marhold – western Cyprus
Odontarrhena chondrogyna (B.L.Burtt) Španiel, Al-Shehbaz, D.A.German & Marhold – southwestern Cyprus
Odontarrhena troodi (Boiss.) Španiel, Al-Shehbaz, D.A.German & Marhold – western Cyprus

Campanulaceae

Campanula veneris Carlström
Solenopsis antiphonitis Hadjik. & Hand
Solenopsis meikleana Brullo, C.Brullo, Cambria, V.Tomas.

Caprifoliaceae

Lomelosia cyprica (Post) Greuter & Burdet
Pterocephalus multiflorus Poech
- Pterocephalus multiflorus subsp. multiflorus
- Pterocephalus multiflorus subsp. obtusifolius Holmboe
Valeriana orbiculata Sm.

Caryophyllaceae

Arenaria rhodia subsp. cypria (Holmboe) McNeill – western Cyprus
Dianthus cyprius A.K.Jacks. & Turrill – northern and northeastern Cyprus
Dianthus strictus subsp. troodi (Post) B.F.Osoriol & Seraphim ex Greuter & Burdet – western Cyprus
Minuartia sintenisii (H.Lindb.) Rech.f. – western Cyprus
Petrorhagia kennedyae (A.K.Jacks. & Turrill) P.W.Ball & Heywood
Sabulina subtilis subsp. filicaulis (H.Lindb.) Dillenb. & Kadereit
Saponaria cypria Boiss.
Silene fraudatrix Meikle
Silene galataea Boiss.
Silene gemmata Meikle
Silene laevigata Sm.
Silene microsperma subsp. cypria Eggens, F.Jafari & Oxelman – Famagusta

Cistaceae

Cistus × akamantis Demoly (C. monspeliensis × C. parviflorus × C. salviifolius)
Helianthemum obtusifolium Dunal
Helianthemum salicifolium var. glabrum Meikle – north-central Cyprus

Colchicaceae

Colchicum troodi Kotschy

Convolvulaceae

Convolvulus × cyprius Boiss. (C. lineatus × C. oleifolius)

Crassulaceae

Rosularia globulariifolia subsp. pallidiflora (Holmboe) Yıld.
Sedum cyprium A.K.Jacks. & Turrill
Sedum eriocarpum subsp. porphyreum (Kotschy) 't Hart
Sedum lampusae (Kotschy) Boiss.
Sedum microstachyum (Kotschy) Boiss.

Cyperaceae

Carex cyprica Molina Gonz., Acedo & Llamas
Carex troodi Turrill – western Cyprus
Cyperus cyprius Post – western Cyprus

Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia cassia subsp. rigoi (Boiss. ex Freyn) Holmboe
Euphorbia lemesian Hadjik., Hand, Christodoulou & Frajman
Euphorbia veneris M.L.S.Khan – western Cyprus

Fabaceae

Astragalus cyprius Boiss.
Astragalus macrocarpus subsp. lefkarensis Meikle & Kirchhoff – western Cyprus, above Pano Lefkara
Bituminaria kyreniae Giusso, C.Brullo, Brullo, Cambria & Miniss.
Genista fasselata subsp. crudelis (Meikle) Chrtek & B.Slavík
Hedysarum cyprium Boiss.
Trifolium campestre subsp. paphium Meikle

Fagaceae

Quercus alnifolia Poech – Troödos Mts.
Quercus × campitica Hadjik. & Hand (Q. alnifolia × Q. coccifera)

Hypericaceae

Hypericum repens L.

Iridaceae

Crocus cyprius Boiss. & Kotschy – western Troödos Mts.
Crocus hartmannianus Holmboe – N. & EC. Cyprus
Crocus veneris Tapp. ex Poech
Gladiolus triphyllus (Sm.) Ker Gawl

Lamiaceae

Acanthoprasium integrifolium (Benth.) Ryding
Clinopodium troodi subsp. troodi – Troödos Mts.
Micromeria chionistrae Meikle – western Cyprus
Nepeta italica subsp. troodi (Holmboe) A.L.Budantzev
Origanum cordifolium (Montbret & Aucher ex Benth.) Vogel – western Cyprus
Phlomis brevibracteata Turrill
Phlomis cypria Post
- Phlomis cypria var. cypria
- Phlomis cypria var. occidentalis Meikle – southwestern Cyprus
Salvia veneris Hedge
Salvia willeana (Holmboe) Hedge – western Cyprus
Scutellaria cypria Rech.f. – western Cyprus
- Scutellaria cypria subsp. cypria – western Cyprus
- Scutellaria cypria subsp. elatior (Meikle) Hand – western Cyprus
Scutellaria sibthorpii (Benth.) Halácsy
Sideritis cypria Post
Teucrium cyprium Boiss. – western Cyprus
Teucrium divaricatum subsp. canescens (Čelak.) Holmboe
Teucrium karpasiticum Hadjik. & Hand
Teucrium kyreniae (P.H.Davis) Hadjik. & Hand
Teucrium micropodioides Rouy
Teucrium salaminium Hadjik. & Hand
Thymus integer Griseb.

Lentibulariaceae

Pinguicula crystallina Sm. – western Cyprus

Liliaceae

Tulipa akamasica Christodoulou, Hand & Charalamb.
Tulipa cypria Stapf ex Turrill

Orchidaceae

Ophrys argolica subsp. elegans (Renz) E.Nelson
Ophrys × cailliauana P.Delforge (O. bornmuelleri × O. sphegodes subsp. mammosa)
Ophrys × jansenii P.Delforge (O. bornmuelleri × O. lutea subsp. galilaea)
Ophrys × paphosiana H.Baumann & Künkele (O. kotschyi × O. umbilicata)
Orchis × tochniana Kreutz & Scraton (O. italica × O. punctulata)
Serapias × cypria H.Baumann & Künkele (S. bergonii × S. levantina)

Orobanchaceae

Odontites linkii subsp. cyprius (Boiss.) Bolliger
Orobanche zosimii (M.J.Y.Foley) Domina

Papaveraceae

Corydalis rutifolia (Sm.) DC. – Troödos Mts.
Papaver cyprium (Chrtek & B.Slavík) M.V.Agab., Christodoulou & Hand
Papaver paphium M.V.Agab., Christodoulou & Hand
Roemeria meiklei (Kadereit) Banfi, Bartolucci, J.-M.Tison & Galasso

Pinaceae

Cedrus libani var. brevifolia Hook.f. – Troödos Mts.

Plumbaginaceae

Limonium ammochostianum Erben, Christodoulou, Hand & Kefalas
Limonium cyprium (Meikle) Hand & Buttler
Limonium karpasiticum Kefalas, Erben, Christodoulou & Hand
Limonium mucronulatum (H.Lindb.) Greuter & Burdet
Limonium paralimniticum Christodoulou, Erben, Hand & Kefalas

Poaceae

Aegilops × insulae-cypri H.Scholz (A. geniculata × A. peregrina)
Agrostis cypricola H.Lindb.
Arrhenatherum elatius subsp. cypricola (H.Scholz) Romero Zarco
Poa sintenisii H.Lindb. – Troodos Mts.
Rostraria hadjikyriakou Christodoulou & Hand
Sporobolus hadjikyriakou (Raus & H.Scholz) P.M.Peterson

Portulacaceae

Portulaca edulis Danin & Bagella

Primulaceae

Cyclamen cyprium Kotschy

Ranunculaceae

Delphinium fissum subsp. caseyi (B.L.Burtt) C.Blanché & Molero
Ranunculus cyprius (Boiss.) Chrtek & B.Slavík
Ranunculus kykkoensis Meikle
Ranunculus leptaleus DC.

Rosaceae

Rosa chionistrae H.Lindb.

Rubiaceae

Rubia laurae (Holmboe) Airy Shaw
Thliphthisa suberosa (Sm.) P.Caputo & Del Guacchio

Urticaceae

Urtica cypria (H.Lindb.) Hand

References

↑ Endemic plants of Cyprus, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) checklist builder. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 August 2024.

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[checklist-1] Endemic plants of Cyprus, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) checklist builder. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 August 2024.

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