orchids
Orchid Alley
The best place to find orchids in the
area is between the villages of Proastio and Petrovouni which is
part of the walk from Kardamyli to Stoupa (see Kardamyli - Stoupa
Walk).
However if you are only interested Iin hunting down some orchids,
the quickest way to “Orchid Alley” would be to drive
up into and through Proastio, leaving your car near the school and
then follow the directions backwards. Your first landmark would be
the church of St George surrounded by Cyprus trees. From the church
it is only about 15 minutes to where there
are usually orchis Italica and giant orchids at a minimum. However
a warning! Once you start the hunt, you may never stop and you might
spend the rest of your holiday wandering the hills and mountains
in a quest for more…
Did you know that the word “orchid” originates
from the ancient Greek word “orchis”, meaning
testicle!? Some of these plants have a pair of tubers
or bulbs that resemble a pair of testicles. Not surprisingly,
the ancients attributed aphrodisiacal qualities to these
plants and in fact the tubers produce a starchy substance
called “salep” whose high digestibility makes
them still desired today. In 1973, Turkey exported 2,200kg
of orchid tubers.
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Here are some of the species found
in the Mani....
(Click
on photo for enlarged image)
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Bee Orchid |
Italian Orchid |
Pyramid Orchid |
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Giant Orchid |
Tooth Orchid |
Tongue Orchid |
It is interesting to note that Orchis
Italica (Italian Orchid) closely resembles
the “satyr” of the ancient Greeks - a human figure with
goats’ horns and tail.
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