Last Wednesday, August 5, the ambassador of Cyprus, Michalis Ioannou, presented bulbs of Cyclamen chipriota (Cyclamen cyprium), the national and endemic flower of Cyprus, to the director of the Real Jardín Botánico-CSIC of Madrid, María-Paz Martín, to further enrich the Garden’s collection with a new species.
The Cypriot Embassy states that “this gesture symbolizes the friendship between Cyprus and Spain and reflects our shared commitment to the protection of biodiversity, natural heritage, and scientific cooperation. We thank the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid and its director for their warm welcome and the Department of Forests of Cyprus for making this initiative possible with the donation of the bulbs.”
“We intended to make the donation during Cyprus’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union last semester, but it was not possible because the plant must undergo all phytosanitary controls and comply with EU legislation as it is an endemic species of our country,” said Ambassador Michalis Ioannou, who described it as “an honor for Cyprus that our national flower is part of the collection of the most important Botanical Garden in Spain.” He also expressed his desire to the director of the RJB-CSIC to attend a public presentation of the plant when it blooms in the Garden.
For her part, the director of the Real Jardín Botánico-CSIC, María-Paz Martín, thanked Cyprus for its interest in having its national plant become part of the collection of living plants of the RJB, thus expanding its variety, which includes species from all continents of the planet for the enjoyment of its visitors.
