The maquis
The scrub forest, referred to by the Italians as maquis and by the French as maquis today largely determines the picture in the entire Mediterranean area and has become the natural habitat of most European tortoises.
Mainly stone oak (Quercus ilex) and cork oak (Quercus suber L.) but also small pines (Pinus ssp.), Turpentine pistachio (Pistacia terebinthus L.), boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), wild olive tree (Olea europaea L.), Carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) and fig tree (Ficus carica L.) are often bush-like together with shrubby, mostly evergreen, leathery bushes such as tree heather (Erica arborea L), mastic (Pistacia lentiscus L.), narrow-leaved stone linden (Phillyrea angustifolia), myrtle (Myrtus communis L), strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) and various mostly extremely prickly shrubs such as holly oak (Quercus coccifera L.), thorny gorse (Calicotome villosa), thorny beagle (Sarcopoterium spinosum) or rigid umbel (Echinophora spinosa L.), dog rose Rosa ssp.) And blackberry (Rubus ssp.).
