Editing Geography of Cyprus (section)

== Natural vegetation ==
[[File:Cyprus countryside on the way to Troodos Mountains in the late summer Republic of Cyprus.jpg|thumb|left|Cyprus countryside on the way to Troodos Mountains during the summer]]
Despite its small size, Cyprus has a variety of natural vegetation. This includes forests of conifers and broadleaved trees such as [[pine]] (''[[Pinus brutia]]''), [[Cedrus|cedar]], [[cypress]]es, and [[oak]]s. Ancient authors write that most of Cyprus, even Messaoria, was heavily forested, and there are still considerable forests on the Troodos and Kyrenia ranges, and locally at lower altitudes. About 17% of the whole island is classified as woodland. Where there is no forest, tall shrub communities of golden oak (''[[Quercus alnifolia]]''), strawberry tree (''[[Arbutus andrachne]]''), terebinth (''[[Terebinth|Pistacia terebinthus]]''), olive (''[[Olive|Olea europaea]]''), kermes oak (''[[Quercus coccifera]]''), and styrax (''[[Styrax officinalis]]'') are found, but such [[Maquis shrubland|maquis]] is uncommon. Over most of the island untilled ground bears a grazed covering of [[garrigue]], largely composed of low bushes of [[Cistus]], ''[[Genista|Genista sphacelata]]'', ''[[Calicotome villosa]]'', ''Lithospermum hispidulum'', ''[[Phagnalon|Phagnalon rupestre]],'' and, locally, ''[[Pistacia lentiscus]]''. Where grazing is excessive this covering is soon reduced, and an impoverished [[Garrigue|batha]] remains, consisting principally of ''[[Thymus capitatus]]'', ''[[Sarcopoterium|Sarcopoterium spinosum]]'', and a few stunted herbs.