We find it on sandy greek beaches , though rarely nowadays , and their catchy delicate fragrance makes it unavoidable to notice . A treasure of the greek land that blooms under the heat by the breeze of the sea since Minoan age .
The sand lily or Pancratium maritimum (Pancratium maritimum), as it is scientifically named, is flowering in August and remains in blossom until October.
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Its name comes from the Greek Pancratium (pan-cratium) and the Latin Maritimum which shows us its sea-coast origin.
We can also find it under the names asphodelos of the sea, lily of St. Nicholas, lily of Minos or Knossos, daffodil of the sea and lily of the Virgin Mary because it blooms in December.
The blue bird of Knossos
It is certainly one of the few plants that can live and grow on sandy beaches, next to the saltiness of the sea and the winds that sweep everything in their path.
Its history and rarity have now led the Council of Europe to designate it as a rare and endangered species.
The sea lily is usually found on beaches with sand dunes however it is possible that it may find suitable ground to grow where we have a combination of pebble and sand.
Its seeds remain buried under the sand even for years until conditions are favourable for their development into a plant and the flowering of the latter.
Its roots are deep and can even reach 1.5 meters to get the necessary moisture needed to feed.
It is also seen in dense clumps, and not by chance, as this and its long roots enable it to hold its ground in the loose sandy soil.
Unfortunately nowadays the destruction of the natural environment and the coast by man, the reckless tourism development, with the commercialization of every beach, often with the construction of arbitrary buildings, has led to the extinction of the species.
Since the age of the Minoans
Greece sea lilly , the "Pancratium maritimum" like almost all lilies was a sacred flower for the Minoans, with religious significance. During the Minoan period, the art of decoration was closely linked to the fascination of flowers for people.
In the famous fresco in the palace of Knossos with the blue bird, we see, down in the lower right-hand corner, the world's first surviving representation of the sand lily. That is why one of the names attributed to this plant is the lily of Knossos or Minos.
We have reports of this discovery both from Evans in Knossos and from Marinatos in his excavations at Thera. There, and specifically in Akrotiri, it was found as a painting, 3,500 years old, in the late Cycladic frescoes where it is depicted without the outer petals.
It should be noted that the lily of the sand is believed to be the 'plant with flowers as white as milk' which Hermes gave to Odysseus to counter the spell of Circe and to which Homer refers.
So next time you see this lily in the sand stand , smell, sense and admire! A true wonder of nature that has endured for thousands of years and is worth protecting.
source e-storieskritis.gr
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