Results
- The species Anacamptis laxiflora prefers wetland soils where it must be protected by uncontrollable construction development and grazing by domesticated ruminants.
- The species Epipactis helleborine is rarely encountered within its natural biotope, the Greek fir forest of Aenos, due to illegal grazing by unattended herds.
- The taxon Scutellaria rupestris subsp. cephalonica is much more common within its range than previously thought. Even so, its proposed conservation status remains “Endangered” with the main threat being illegal grazing of the fir forest. The detailed results have been published in:
Gerakis, A., A. Frangos, X. Haldas, E. Katsalirou, and Y. Samaras. 2024. Distribution and conservation status of Scutellaria rupestris subsp. cephalonica (Rech.f.) Greuter & Burdet. Hacquetia 23(1):137–144. Available at http://doi.org/10.2478/hacq-2023-0005.
- Chemical analyses of the tubers of the two orchids (Anacamptis laxiflora, native and cultivated, and Epipactis helleborine, native) and roots of Scutellaria rupestris subsp. cephalonica (native and cultivated) revealed that:
- Cephalonian skullcap roots are richer in bioactive constituents and therefore exhibit higher antioxidant activity than orchid tubers.
- Cephalonian skullcap roots contain more flavonoids, a fact that underlines their medicinal importance, since the main medicinal substances that were studied were flavonoids.
- Both Cephalonian skullcap samples (native and cultivated) yielded a rich lipid fraction, as well as the sample of Anacamptis laxiflora that was collected from nature.
- The dominant medicinal substance in both Cephalonian skullcap samples (native and cultivated) is Baicalin.
- It seems that when Cephalonian skullcap is cultivated in vitro, its baicalin content decreases whereas its baicalein content increases.
Co-Financed by Greece and the European Union
