Contribution to the urban ecology of Greece: The flora of the city of Patras and the surrounding area

The wild vascular urban flora of the area of Patras is especially rich and consists of 808 taxa, 575 of which are reported here for the first time. The great number of species of the area in relation to its extent (ca. 55 km(2)) is mainly due to the existence of a great variety of biotopes, as well as to the richness of the Greek flora. A concise species list with indications of life-forms and chorological data is provided. In the life-form spectrum, therophytes are over-represented (53.7 %) mainly as a result of the long dry period and, to a lesser degree, the ''city'' factor. Fifteen chorological groups are distinguished, with the Mediterranean element being the dominant one. Ten Greek and 16 Balkan endemic taxa, as well as 100 adventive taxa are present. The distribution of the endemic element in natural and man-made habitats of the urban environment is discussed. Finally, a preliminary attempt to compare the data of the city of Patras to those available of central European cities is carried out.