• The Oak cork (Quercus suber)
Natural forests, that it forms are not dense and are invaded scrub. It requires abundant rains and prefers a siliceous ground. It is idespread in the department of Var east. It is recognizable with its thick layer of cork which is worth its first barking to him around its 20 years; then the every 13-14 years, it will produce a cork usable; between the two, it will have time to remake a thick layer of cork of approximately 5 cm. The Var, thanks to the solid mass of the Moors, was at the beginning of the century a high place of production of cork and agglomerated by-products. This affectionate tree deep siliceous grounds.

•The Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster)
It replaces the pine of Alep on siliceous grounds. It can form mixed forests with the holm oak. Its needles are long and thick, its cones are large and its black trunk. Unfortunately they often decay, attacked by a cochineal; more than 120.000 hectares were destroyed in the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes in about thirty years. The oak cork, then favoured, it conceal the place.

• The Myrtle (Myrtus communis)
It is a shrub with persistent and aromatic foliage. It was for the Greeks, in Antiquity, the symbol of the love and glory. Its oval and pointed leafs are brilliant; the principal vein is very marked. Its many white flowers produce small bays bluish black. Its essential oil is used against the bronchial affections. It belongs to the grouping with mastic tree and prefers to avoid limestone.

 

• The Mimosa of the florists (Acacia dealbata)
This tree, with fast growth, is originating in Australia. It is sensitive cold. Naturalized in theMoors and Esterel, it tends to invade the natural environment. Its flowering is winter; its perfume is marked.

• The arborescent Heather (Erica arborea)
It's often associated the cane-apple bush on grounds low in limestone; Its bark is reddish; its leafs have a furrow on their lower face; its stems are hairy. When it develops, it makes evolve the ground to the type "ground of heather", acid ground unfavourable to the growth of noble trees.

• Maures Lavender' (Lavandula stoechas)
Less odorous than the other lavenders, it often pushes on siliceous grounds in the Underwood's of pines. It is recognized with its purple cheek at the top of its ear of flowers. It is same family as thyme or rosemary.

• The Cane-apple bush (Arbustus unedo)
Its bark is characteristic: it has fine cracks. It is one of the rare shrubs which one can observe at the same time the flowers (white small bells) and the fruits. Its edible fruits, arbutus-berries, redden with the sun of autumn. It affectionate step the grounds limestone, but likes the company of the cork oak.

Siliceous grounds or limestone (species ubiquists)

The plants are often carved by the wind; they take often prostrate forms, being able to go until forming natural bonsais. The branches too exposed to the winds are desiccated: it is the "anémomorphose".

• The Pine of Alep (Pinus halepensis)
It is the most widespread conifer and most important of the hot and dry rock coasts.Sometimes one finds it tortured by the winds, hung on a Cliffside, and there is evil to imagine from where it draws its subsistence. It is not demanding on the nature of the grounds, but the presence of limestone prefers. It can take a port in flag due to the "anémomorphose" or it concealed with the short-nap cloth of the ground to have less catches with the wind. With the shelter, in the middle of its congeneric, it right and will be hurled, 20 Mr. will be able to reach. of top. The germination of its seeds is supported by the passage of fire. Its Underwood is made of low scrub. Formerly it was planted for the extraction of its resin, but this practice became rare.

• The Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)
It can grow spontaneously on fissured limestone or rock cliffs. It is easily recognizable with its splendid port.

• The Passerine (Thymelaea hirsuta)
It is a plant bushy. Its very small hairy thick leafs are overlapping on the stem. It likes only the hottest places. It is a protected species.

• The Holm oak or Yeuse (Quercus ilex)
This tree can reach more than 20 meters. It is of it that the term comes from scrubland. Its distribution corresponds well to the Mediterranean surface. Leafs have very variable forms according to their situation on the tree: they are green dark and gleaming above and gray and hairy lower part; that makes it possible to decrease their vapour-perspiration. This tree prefers the substrates limestone, but deserted step the siliceous ones. The green oak groves are not favourable to the fires and the erosion of the grounds. Its very hard wood is used for manufacture of tools and was exploited a long time like firewood.

• The arborescent Alfalfa (Medicago arborea)
It is originating in Turkey and is appeared as a shrub. It is spontaneous only on the littoral. It has leafs with three lobes, flowers of a supported yellow, who will give spiral pods (1 turn), and enough broad.

• The laurustinus or the Viorne-tin (Viburnum tinus)
This shrub with persistent leafs is noticed, at the time of its flowering, by its large white floral heads which will give small bays metal blue. Its persistent leafs are hairy on their lower face.

• The Mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus)
It is one of the shrubs most characteristic of our area. Its persistent leafs are green and dark. It has a resin odour. Its white flowers are in bunch and will give red small fruits then black. Its resin gives a gum: the gum of Kios, which one uses in dental care and for the manufacture of chewing-gum. It is found often associated with wild olive-trees and holm oaks.

• The Garance traveller (Rubia peregrina)
It is often associated the Holm oak. This liana holds its name owing to the fact that it has of all small hooks which enable him to cling to the first traveller who passes. Leafs are gathered by 4 on its stem with square section. Its flowers pale yellow will give small bays. It was cultivated formerly to produce a red dyeing starting from its roots. It is well-known painters.

• Honeysuckle of the Balearic Islands (Lonicera implexa)
It search heat, be rolled up around a support. Its flowers gather at the end of the branches; its persistent leafs are tough and oval.

• Fragon or Butcher's-broom (Ruscus aculeatus)
It is a green woody plant in tuft. Its false prickly and flattened leafs bear the flowers and the fruits.

 

 

• Genever oxycedre or Cade (Juniperus oxycedrus)
This shrub has leafs in the shape of needles carrying two white longitudinal stripes. Its large bays are reddish with maturity. The oil of Cade is used in dermatology (external use). Its hard wood, scented, imputrescible and resistant can be used to make statues. Its stock resists the fire. One will rather find it inside the grounds. It is his/her cousin the common Genever who produces bays of juniper used in kitchen.

• The Bindweed of Provence
(Convolvulus althacoïdes)
It likes to make bronze its pink corollas close to the sea. Its stem is laid down or climbing. Its higher leafs are deeply divided; the lower is in the shape of heart.

 

• The Broomrape (Orobanche rapum-genistae)
This parasitic plant, without chlorophyll, resemble a stem of russet-red orchids. It carries many brown scales. Its flowers can be yellow or pink. It saw thanks to the plant that it parasitizes.

 

• Pittospore (Pittosporum tobira)
It is of Chinese origin. Very rustic with its green and sunk leafs tough, it is able to be resown. Its white flowers with beiges are very odorous. One often finds it planted in the parks or our gardens.

• Sarsaparilla (Smilax aspersa)
This plant was returned celebrates thanks to the schtroumpfs: these small blue fellows make a soup of it! This thorny liana has leafs in the shape of heart, more or less triangular. It also clings to the bushes by gimlets.

 

• The Euphorbium Characias (Euphorbia characias)
If you cut a piece of stem you will see a white latex running out, as alls euphorbiums.

• The wild Carrot (Daucus carota)
It is at the origin of cultivated carrots. It has diuretic properties and has a carrot odour (astonishing!). Its leafs are very divided; its hairy stem has furrows.

 

• Filaire with narrow leafs ( Phillyrea angustifolia)
This shrub has oval persistent leafs. It likes the arid places like the edge of sea. It makes tiny white flowers which will give round fruits purple blue, eaten readily by the birds.

 

• Scabieuse maritime
(Sixalis atropurpurea maritima)
In spite of its name, it often moves away from the littoral. This small flower violet is very common.

 

 

• Garlic with acute flowers (Allium roseum)
This plant with bulb can reach 60 cm in height. Its inflorescence is easily recognizable: a globulous sunshade, generally of pink colour, perched on a long stem and which feels. in your opinion ?

• The Lilac of Spain or Centranthe rouge (Centranthus ruber)
This very common plant on our grounds limestone generally makes pink flowers in edge of ways.

• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
This aromatic shrub grows rather on limestone, in clearings the Yeuse ones (Holm oaks). It appreciates the dry places. It is also recognized with its odour. It belongs to the same family that thyme and flowers all the year.

• The Sisal plant of America (Agave americana)
This species comes us from Mexico. It is armed with powerful spines. Between its fifth and its fortieth birthday, it will flower only once (but what a floral pole!), then she will die. It is at the base of the composition of several Mexican drinks: The tequila, the pulque one and the mescal. It also gives a textile fibre: the sisal.

• Genever of Phenicia
(Juniperus phoenicea)
It likes the hot slopes near the sea. Leafs in scales make it resemble a cypress. It makes reddish globulous fruits.

 

• The Immortal one
(Helichrysum stoechas)
One often finds it in the dry bouquets (from where his name). This plant is recognized, forming tufts reaching 50 cm in height, with its small yellow flowers gathered in globulous flowerheads and with its odour of curry.

• The marine Fig or Scratches of witch (Caprobotus edulis)
It is a crawling plant having fleshy leafs with triangular section. It comes from South Africa and tends to be in competition with the local flora. It is a species pioneer: it easily replaces other plant autochthones.

• The Inula false-crithme
(Inula crithmoides)
This hardy perennial is generally exposed to the spray; its yellow flowers are at the end of the branches.

 

• Maritime Seneca (Senecio bicolor)
Average hardy perennial (50 cm) generally forming bushes. Leafs are fluffy and off-white, more or less indented. Many flowerheads are joined together at the end of the branches. It likes the sandy grounds near the sea. Its beautiful leafs off-white and hairy, very cut out are often used in decoration.

 

• The Plantain in awl
(Plantago subulata)
This hardy perennial forms small bearings (15 cm) in maritime cliffs. Its very fine leafs (1 mm) are almost prickly.

• The Cistus of Montpellier (Cistus monspeliensis)
This shrub has leafs dark green which are sticky. It loses them, turns russet to protect itself from the estival hot seasons. The germination of its seeds is favoured in the event of fire.

• Thorny Calycotome (Calycotome spinosa)
Shrub of one to two meters in height which resembles a broom. Its fruits are black. It prefers the acid grounds, thus siliceous. It belongs to the family of Fabacés or Appliances which gathers in particular the coronals, brooms and alfalfas. Flowers, often of yellow colour, pods will give fructifications in the bean shape.

• The Asphodel (Asphodelus sp.)
IIt supports fire and the mowing thanks to its tubers in the carrot shape which enables him to push back. Its leafs form a rivet washer at the base of the plant. Its stems of more than one meter in height, sometimes ramified, carry white flowers to 6 petals having a pink central vein. Some say that they feel the wee of cat !

 

• The Jupiter Beard (Anthyllis Barba-jovis)
This shrub likes the coastal rocks. It has splendid silver plated hairy leafs. It can reach 3 Mr. of top. Its Flowers pale yellow are gathered at the top of the branches. Protected species.

 

• Maritime Crithme (Crithmum maritimum)
This plant is characteristic of the edge of sea. Its crawling stock has fleshy leafs and yellow flowers contained out of sunshades. It can be consumed like gherkins, in vinegar. It has diuretic properties.

• The arborescent Euphorbiums (Euphoria dendroides)
This euphorbiums can make small solid masses on the rocks or sand. Leafs are narrow; while drying, they bend to the bottom, along the stem. If you cut a piece of stem, you will see white latex running out, as at all the euphorbiums; this latex is poisonous.

•Dwarf Statice of Provence
(Limonium minutum)
It is endemic. One finds it on the maritime siliceous rocks. Its harvest is strictly prohibited. One will find other species of Limonium; all can expel salt by leafs to live in these salted mediums. Protected species.

• Lichens
The lichens are associations, between an alga and a mushroom; it is a symbiosis. They do not like pollution; they are bio-indicators. One often finds them on the rocks in edge of sea.

• Xanthoria parietina
This foliaceous lichen, orange yellow, push often just above the highest water.

 

• Verrucaria sp.
This black lichen is sometimes confused with a tar task.

• Maritime Alysson or money basket (Lobularia maritima)
This small hardy perennial has narrow and lanceolate leafs, had way alternate on the stem. The flowers are tiny (5 mms diameter), white and odorous. They are very melliferous.

 

• The hare Tail (Lagurus ovatus)
This graminaceous is often found in the dry bouquets because it has very soft ears. It pushes in the sandy grounds.

• The Cucumber of ass or wild Gherkin (Ecballium elaterium)
It likes the waste lands. It is hairy and long-lived. Its flowers are yellow. Its fruits explode to disseminate seeds contained in a liquid under pressure. It does not pass unperceived on the backshores.

• The woodland Mauve (Malva Sylvestris)
This common hardy perennial of the waste lands makes us benefit from his flowering all the summer. It is a lenitive medicinal plant.

• Erased Anacycle (Anacyclus radiatus)
This annual plant pushes in sandy grounds, often in edge of ways. It has extremely divided leafs and flowerheads (flowers resemble daisies) yellow.

• The Plantain horn of stag (Plantago coronopus)
It spreads out its rivet washers over sandy or salted grounds (sansouires). One can consume it out of salad.

• The maritime Lily (Pancratium maritimum)
This plant with long-lived bulb lives in littoral sands. Its beautiful white flowers in the shape of funnel open by forming six points and an internal crown. Protected species.

• Nerprun alaterne (Rhamnus alaternus)
This shrub, being able to reach 6 meters, has slightly toothed leafs shining green above and; their edge is translucent with back-light; they can be more or less lengthened or round. The yellow flowers in spring will give red bays then black. The migratory birds disseminate them on their course. The buckthorn alaternes prefers the slopes limestone. Its bark and leafs contain astringent principles. It is the companion of the Holm oak.

• Clematis flam
(Clematis flammula)
If you have a doubt to recognize this liana, bite a leaf: if your language pricks, you will include/understand then why it bears this name.

• The white or cottony Cistus (Cistus albidus)
This shrub has hairy branches, oval leafs, persistent, green gray with a baize whitish from where its name. Its large pink flowers in the middle yellow all are crumpled. It grown on arid ground.

• Arperge (Asparagus acutifolius)
Its leafs reduced to needles make it possible to recognize this thorny liana which pushes in Underwood or in bushes close to the shore where it clings with gimlets. Its flowers give small black globulous bays. In spring, the experts taste these asparagus tips out of omelettes.

• The Daphne garou or Sain-Bois (Daphne gnidium)
It was used formerly like plants medicinal. Leafs and its fruits are poisonous. Its port can induce you in error because it resembles an Euphorbiums, but there is no latex which runs out when a stem is broken. The arid regions do not disturb it. Its small flowers cream-coloured white, are gathered at the top of the branches of brown colour. Leafs are alternate. Its fleshy fruits, reds, will become blackish.

• The Eyelet of Gadroon (Dianthus sylvestris)
This small eyelet with pink flowers pushes on the arid grounds of the littoral.

 

 

• Armoise arborescent
(Artemisia arborescens)
One finds it only on the maritime rocks of the VAR. It was surely naturalized. It forms tufts in bearing. It is odorous, woody. Leafs blanchers subdivided in segments can make believe at first sight that it pricks.

The grounds limestone

• Olivier (Olea europaea)
This tree, cultivated since Antiquity, is the symbol of peace and immortality because it has a slow growth. Leafs are green top and silver plated below. Its wild form of origin, the olestra, who belongs to the littoral bush and generally remains with the size of shrub, is rather rare. It is known that it has been present in Provence for at least 10.000 years. Its oil was always one of the richness's of the Mediterranean grounds. It is for it that it was cultivated since the Greeks. At the beginning of the XIX century the mills with oil multiplied. The olive-tree was seldom cultivated only, but rather in partnership with vines and fruit trees. The disease of will phylloxera and mechanization pushed back it on not very fertile benches, with the profit of the vine. For 20 years the interest of the French for the olive oil has grown, in particular for its medical virtues; this is why oleiculture finds its letters of nobility in our area.

• Aphyllante of Montpellier (Aphyllantes monspeliensis)
It grow in tufts often deprived of leafs. Blue, its flowers colour the scrubland with rosemary in spring and the beginning of the summer. It is often in the scrubland, accompanying the pubescent oaks.

• The Umbrella pine or Umbrella pine (Pinus pinea)
The tree is rather closely related to the littoral sandy grounds; it returns little inside the grounds. Its port, who characterizes it, he makes it possible to lavish a generous shade top of its 30 meters. Its Underwood is a low scrub. The pinions enter receipts of Provence of pastry making or confectionery.

• Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)
Small shrub (1 to 3 Mr.), with small persistent leafs, ovals, dark green, glistening and opposite. Its yellowish flowers are with the armpit of leafs. One more often finds it on grounds limestone where it replaces the degraded pubescent oak groves. Its wood is very hard; one makes of them jacks (you know "the small one" with game of bowls!), but also of the chains. For several millennia one to him has found properties medicinal and decorative.

• The Sweet clover (Lotus sp.)
The sweet clover is an herbaceous plant which belongs to the family of leguminous plants. There are several species generally with yellow flowers, who will give fruits resembling small beans.

• The Kermes oak
(Quercus coccifera)
This shrub will be found, smallest of the oaks, in the case of a degradation of the green oak grove or in Underwood of a pine forest. It can constitute coppices very dense and impenetrable because of its small leafs tough and thorny. Its name comes from Galle caused by a cochineal; this one collected was used for manufacture of a dyeing. One seldom finds it on siliceous grounds. It rejects stock after a fire.

• Le Brachypode rameux (Brachypodium ramosum)
C'est une graminée xérophile. Il supporte les milieux secs. Il constitue la majorité des pelouses méditerranéennes. C'est " l'herbe à moutons " ou " baouque ". Les bergers brûlaient les taillis épineux pour qu'il repousse. Il est qualifié de rameux car à la base de sa tige la ramification est importante.

Les terrains salés (sansouires)

Ces plantes supportent la présence de sel ou en ont besoin pour se développer.

• La Salicorne (Arthrocnemum sp.) Cet arbuste compact est caractéristique des sansouires. Il pousse donc sur terrain salé. On peut déguster la salicorne en salade ou préparée comme des haricots verts.

• Le Tamaris (Tamarix gallica) Cet arbuste peut atteindre 5 mètres. Ses feuilles ont une forme en écailles serrées sur des rameaux grêles. Ses minuscules fleurs roses sont regroupées en épis. La présence de sel ne le dérange pas. Ses racines aident à fixer les dunes. Il nous vient des Canaries.

• L'Arroche halime (Atriplex halimus) Cet arbuste est souvent planté comme haie au bord de mer car il résiste au sel. Ses feuilles blanches et argentées, sont assez épaisses et sont alternées le long de la tige. Il fait des grappes de fleurs jaunes en fin d'été et peut atteindre 2 mètres de haut.

• L'Obione (Halimione portucaloides) Elle constitue des massifs argentés denses, souvent couchés au sol, qui présentent des touffes en forme des coussins. Elle ressemble à l'arroche halime avec des feuilles plus étroites et plus charnues.

• Le Jonc aigü (Juncus acutus) Sur le littoral, il délimite souvent le passage de l'eau salée à l'eau douce. Il forme une touffe de feuilles en forme d'aiguilles pouvant atteindre plus d'un mètre de haut.

Les terrains humides

• Le Roseau (Phragmites australis) Il forme des roselières au bord des marais du littoral. Il abrite souvent des oiseaux nicheurs. Il était autrefois utilisé pour le recouvrement des toitures. Il n'a pas forcément les pieds dans l'eau. Il ressemble beaucoup à la canne de Provence, mais sa tige est plus fine.

• La Canne de Provence (Arundo donax) La plus grande de nos graminées (jusqu'à 5 m.) a de grosses tiges ligneuses. Elle est utilisée pour fabriquer des anches pour les instruments de musique, mais aussi des cannisses et des tuteurs. Elle aime l'humidité et peut servir de haie coupe-vent.

• Le Laurier rose (Nerium oleander) Cet arbuste à tige droite et à feuilles longues et persistantes se retrouve souvent planté dans nos jardins, mais il est spontané au bord des petits cours d'eau temporaires : les oueds. Ses superbes fleurs sont blanches, roses ou rouges. C'est une plante très toxique : des soldats de Napoléon n'avaient pu livrer bataille, empoisonnés, après avoir préparé leur repas avec des tiges de Laurier rose. Ces plantes sauvages sont protégées. Il ne faut pas le confondre avec le laurier sauce, dont les feuilles sont utilisées en cuisine provençale. Espèce sauvage protégée.

• L'Arum à capuchon ou l'Arum arisarum (Arisarum vulgare) C'est une petite plante vivace, facile à reconnaître lors de sa floraison. Sa fleur a une forme de capuchon.

• Le Figuier (Ficus carica) C'est un pionnier. Sa dissémination se fait grâce aux oiseaux. Cet arbre a besoin d'un petit insecte (le blastophage) pour se reproduire et vice-versa. L'insecte féconde les fleurs qui se trouvent à l'intérieur de la figue et y pond ses œufs ; les larves s'y développeront. • L'Acanthe (Acanthus mollis) Cette plante vivace aime grandir dans les taillis, les forêts clairsemées, les lieux frais. Elle a de très grandes et belles feuilles qui sont à l'origine de l'inspiration du style corinthien