Article

In the present study 100, almost vertical, limestone cliffs on the island of Crete have been investigated floristically and a total of614 taxa has been registered. According to the degree ofspecialization to the cliff habitats four categories of chasmophytes have been recognized. The biological and the chorological spectra ofthe Cretan chasmophytic flora have been constructed and compared to the corresponding ones of the Cretan flora. Annual therophytes are almost absent from the category of the obligatory chasmophytes and the percentage of endemism (including Greek andlor Aegean endemics) comes up to 76% suggesting a positive correlation between chasmophytism and endemismo This notion is also supported by the observation that the cliffs on the western side of the island, an area rich in endemics, house also the richest and the most diverse chasmophytic flora