If one considers the exceptional variety and beauty of the plants of Greece, a variety that reflects the characteristics of this remarkable place, it is perhaps not surprising that botanists such as Dioscorides and Theophrastus and natural philosophers, mainly Aristotle, early focused their interest on these plants and their nomenclature. Medically significant throughout the ages, plants have certainly enriched the lives of ancient Greeks and their ancestors just as they enrich the lives of those who enjoy observing them today.

When observation of these plants in the mountain peaks, cliffs, slopes, and shores of Greece is not possible, there is no better way to enjoy them than by viewing the wonderful and botanically accurate paintings of Niki Goulandris, which are reproduced in this album by Milestone Publications. The first edition of the book was published 40 years ago, while the collection presented here is enriched with a number of new paintings that N. Goulandris has added to her original collection.

Several million years ago, expanding continental ice caps in the south and later in the north created clockwise-moving currents in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, so that the prevailing westerlies of the oceans blew over warm expanses in the summers, increasing their ability to retain water and leading to the summer droughts characteristic of the entire Mediterranean region. As a result of the development of this extreme climate, many more species of plants and animals disappeared from the region, leaving opportunities for radiative evolution, which led to the development of large species groups in some genera. During the Pleistocene glaciations, many elements of the characteristic vegetation of Europe that survived found refuge in the south, with Greece representing an important area of such survival sites. At the same time, remnants of the earlier prevailing vegetation survived in wet areas or where available water was seasonally concentrated, such as on cliffs. These diverse historical trends are evident in the modern flora of Greece and, together with its remarkable topographic diversity, explain its extraordinary richness and variety.

In our days, the combination of population growth, increased consumption demands, and the development of waste-producing technology is increasingly threatening to the natural world as well as to human health and the future sustainability of the planet. At the same time, global climate change, driven by our activities, is rapidly changing the face of the planet. It is obvious that the unique flora and fauna of Greece must survive and be preserved to the extent that we can achieve, with clear attention to future climate trends and changing human activities.
No one has loved and appreciated the plants of Greece more than Niki Goulandris and her husband Angelos, who together opened a new vital phase in the study and appreciation of Greek natural history, founding a foundation that evolved into the Goulandris Museum of Natural History and Gaia Center.

Focusing on plants, animals, and other organisms, the foundation continues to contribute vitally to finding stable and sustainable solutions to Greece's environmental problems and the preservation of its flora and fauna. Niki Goulandris remains at the helm of the foundation that she and her husband created with wonderful results. Throughout her life, she has been active in science, arts, politics, and social issues. Botany has always been her special love, a love that shines through in the paintings included in this volume