Zelkova abelicea (Lam.) Boiss., an endemic species of Crete (Greece)

Additional insights on the ecology of the relic tree Zelkova sicula di Pasquale, Garfì et Quézel (Ulmaceae) after the finding of a new population

“…Boiss. from Crete, its closest relative under the biogeographical point of view, lives in areas with fresh microclimate and good water balance (N-facing slopes, small valleys, dolines), at elevations between 850 and 1800 (mainly between 1250 and 1350) m a.s.l., within supra-and oroMediterranean mixed discontinuous woody stands dominated by evergreen and deciduous broadleaved trees (Barbero and Quézel, 1980;Egli, 2000;Sarlis, 1987;Søndergaard and Egli, 2006).…”

The Tertiary relict tree Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae): distribution, population structure and conservation status on Crete

“…abelicea occurs at high elevations in supra-and oroMediterranean mixed discontinuous woody stands dominated by evergreen and deciduous trees (Sarlis, 1987;Søndergaard & Egli, 2006). Palaeobotanical data indicate that the genus Zelkova belongs to a hygro-meso-thermophilous floristic unit that occurred abundantly throughout Europe before the last glacial age (Di Pasquale et al, 1992;Quézel & Médail, 2003).…”

Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae) in Crete: floristics, ecology, propagation and threats

“…Altogether 170 sample plots were studied, distributed over the four main mountain ranges of Crete, Levka Ori, Psiloritis (including Kedhros), Dhikti and Afendis Kavousi, at 700-2400 m elevation. Due to the abundance of water in and around dolines, this is a preferred location for Z. abelicea (Ambelitsia, the Greek common name, Sarlis 1987), which is a temperate element in the Cretan flora. During his trekking from doline to doline Egli often came across stands of Ambelitsia and decided to initiate a detailed survey of the species, when he had finished his doctorate in 1993.…”