Editing Crete (section)

===Flora===
The Minoans contributed to the deforestation of Crete. Further deforestation occurred in the 1600s "so that no more local supplies of firewood were available".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sands |first1=Roger |title=Forestry in a Global Context |date=2005 |page=27 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UO1DAI60IQEC&q=crete+deforestation&pg=PA27 |access-date=24 September 2019|isbn=9780851990897 }}</ref>

Common wildflowers include: camomile, daisy, gladiolus, hyacinth, [[Iris flower|iris]], poppy, cyclamen and tulip, among others.<ref name=Fielding>Fielding, J. and Turland, N. "Flowers of Crete", Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, {{ISBN|978-1842460795}}, 2008</ref> There are more than 200 species of wild [[orchid]] on the island and this includes 14 varieties of ''[[Ophrys cretica]]''.<ref name=flora>[https://books.google.com/books?id=KVYFI9NzLz0C&pg=PA68 Crete p.68] by Victoria Kyriakopoulos</ref> Crete has a rich variety of indigenous herbs including common [[Salvia officinalis|sage]], [[rosemary]], [[thyme]], and [[oregano]].<ref name=flora/><ref name=expcrete>[http://www.explorecrete.com/nature/flora.html The Flora of Crete] ExploreCrete.com</ref> Rare herbs include the endemic [[Origanum dictamus|Cretan dittany]]<ref name=flora/><ref name=expcrete/> and [[ironwort]], ''[[Sideritis syriaca]]'', known as [[malotira]] (μαλοτήρα). Varieties of cactus include the edible [[Opuntia|prickly pear]]. Common trees on the island include the [[Castanea sativa|chestnut]], [[Cupressus sempervirens|cypress]], [[oak tree|oak]], [[Olea europaea|olive tree]], [[Pinus brutia|pine]], [[Platanus orientalis|plane]], and [[tamarisk tree|tamarisk]].<ref name=expcrete/> Trees tend to be taller to the west of the island where water is more abundant.

{{see also|List of endemic plants of Crete}}

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:044 Dracunculus vulgaris at Akrotiri peninsula, Crete, Greece.jpg|Snake lily (''[[Dracunculus vulgaris]]'')
File:Ophrys cretica-001.jpg|The ''[[Ophrys cretica]]'' orchid
</gallery>