Regina Karousou

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | AUTH

The genus Acinos Mill. (Lamiaceae) is controversial both for its affinity to other genera since, based on different approaches, it has been included in Calamintha Mill., Satureja L. and more recently in Clinopodium L. and Ziziphora L., but also for the taxonomic confusion regarding the circumscription, status, and nomenclature of the taxa at the in...

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban...

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban...

A first attempt to the historical collection of TAU Herbarium revealed that it contains some interesting specimens from the 19th century, including type specimens or specimens of rare, threatened and endemic taxa of the Greek Flora.

Raptis, D., Karousou, R. & Hanlidou, E. 2019: Type specimens in the Herbarium of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (TAU). – Bot. Chron. 307-318. The historical collections of TAU (Thessaloniki Aristotle University Hebarium) hold a total of 44 specimens collected in the 19th century, which are nomenclatural types (one lectotype, 30 iso-(lecto)t...

The role of environment and the relative significance of endogenous versus exogenous selection in shaping hybrid zones have been crucial issues in the studies of hybridization. Recent advances in ecological niche modeling (ENM) offer new methodological tools, especially in combination with the genotyping of individuals in the hybrid zone. Here, we...

Coastal dunes are dynamic yet fragile systems, built up over thousands of years, characterized by their unique assemblage of topography and soil, and flora and fauna adapted to the specific conditions prevailing in coastal wetlands. At the same time, sand dunes lie at the forefront of natural defense mechanisms against erosion and floods which inte...

Coastal dunes are dynamic yet fragile systems, built up over thousands of years, characterized by their unique assemblage of topography and soil, and flora and fauna adapted to the specific conditions prevailing in coastal wetlands. At the same time, sand dunes lie at the forefront of natural defense mechanisms against erosion and floods which inte...

The genus Mentha is one of the most difficult genera of Lamiaceae family, regarding the taxonomic identification of species because of the great morphological diversity and the frequent formation of hybrids between them. The aim of this work is the taxonomy of Mentha plants grown wild in the prefecture of Florina (floristic region North Central Gre...

Salvia tomentosa essential oils from Greece were studied for the first time here. The oils from five populations growing in Mediterranean pine forests on the island of Thassos (northern Aegean Sea) and from 14 populations situated in deciduous forests in Thrace (northeastern Greek mainland) were investigated. Their essential-oil contents ranged fro...

Εssential oils rich in p-menthane compounds are mainly produced by taxa of the genera Acinos, Calamintha, Mentha and Clinopodium, which often emit a characteristic “mint” odour. According to Dimopoulos et al. (2013) 27 native taxa belong to those genera, five of which are endemic in Greece. Most of them occur in the floristic region of NE Greece (2...

In the framework of the project THALES: The Pollinators of the Aegean, Biodiversity and Threats (2012-2015), 1732 plants were collected from four floristic regions including a total of 20 Aegean islands (Anafi, Chios, Iraklia, Ikaria, Ios, Karpathos, Kea, Kos, Lesvos, Limnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Rhodes, Samothrace, Thasos, Thera, Serifos,...

The essential oils of 13 Greek populations of Micromeria dalmatica, a Balkan endemic species and member of the section Pseudomelissa, were examined for the first time. Among the studied populations, two main oil types could be distinguished. Type I was found to be rich in β-pinene, limonene, and germacrene D (accounting for 55.6-70.2% of the total...

The present work aims at tracing the essential-oil diversity of wild growing Origanum majorana plants in Cyprus. The study of six populations scattered over the western part of the island has shown that the essential oils were rich either in trans-sabinene hydrate/terpinen-4-ol or in α-terpineol/trans-sabinene hydrate. The former oil type is more c...

The essential-oil composition of three not previously studied taxa belonging to the Nepeta argolica aggregate was examined. The oils of N. argolica ssp. malacotrichos and N. argolica ssp. vourinensis (both Greek endemics) are rich in 1,8-cineole (30.9-55.6% of the total oil composition), while those of the Balkan endemic N. spruneri are rich in eit...

The aim of the present study was to contribute to the knowledge of the essential-oil composition of the Calamintha officinalis-nepeta complex in Greece and to clarify the main patterns of its variation. The oils obtained from 22 wild-growing populations of C. glandulosa, C. nepeta, and C. menthifolia were studied. They could be classified into two...

Satureja pilosa Velen. subsp. origanita Dardioti & Kokkini, is a recently described endemic taxon of NE Greece (Thrace). Its epithet reflects the prominent odor of the plants, due to which it is used by the local people as an “oregano” herb. However, the study of 19 populations scattered along the taxon’s range, revealed that the plants are charact...

Aim of the study: Directive 2004/24/EC sets the frame for the herbal trade in Europe emphasizing the need of the botanical characterization of herbal substances intended for human consumption. Thus, the aim of the present study is to survey and identify taxonomically the herbs sold in the market of Cyprus and to document and evaluate their uses. M...

The distribution of Calamintha cretica, a taxon restricted on the massif of Levka Ori (White Mountains W. Crete, Greece), is presented. The essential oils of three populations were examined by means of GC and GC-MS. The essential oil yield varied from 0.5% to 1.9%, whereas the major compounds were in all cases piperitenone oxide (26.4–41.3%) and pi...

Sideritis syriaca ssp. syriaca is a taxon with a low essential oil content. Its leaves bear glandular trichomes of two types: long hairs with a 4-celled head, a 4-celled stalk and a 4-celled foot (reported for the first time in Lamiaceae) and short hairs with a 4–celled head, a unicellular stalk and a unicellular foot. The second type is considered...

The herbs of the "mint" group traded in the herbal market of Thessaloniki include eight taxa, members of two genera, Acinos (two species) and Mentha (four species and two hybrids). The essential oil content of 72 samples examined ranged from traces up to 1.69ml/100g of dry weight. Besides three almost scentless samples, the different "mints" are di...

The study of essential oils obtained from Coridothymus capitatus and Satureja thymbra collected from different natural habitat types of 11 NATURA 2000 sites scattered all over Crete has shown that they are characterized either by a high amount of carvacrol (up to 75.7%) or thymol (up to 65.6%) or by a more or less equal amount of the two phenols. T...

The essential oil content and the C-3 oxygenated p-menthane compounds of Mentha pulegium collected from 38 populations scattered all over Greece are presented. The oil content ranged from 1.0–3.8 mL/100 g (d.w.) and the C-3 oxygenated p-menthane compounds constitute in all populations the bulk of the oil (78.6–99.7% of the total oil). The quantitat...

Aiming to find out if any distinction between the Greek (Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum) and Turkish oregano (O. onites) essential oils exists, the composition of six wild Greek populations of the former and four of the latter taxon were analyzed by means of GC and GC/MS. A PCA analysis showed that Turkish oregano oils had higher amounts of sabinene,...

The results of a survey of the medicinal plants found in the herbal market of Thessaloniki, which comprises traditional shops, modern shops and open-air market stalls, are presented. A total number of 172 taxa, Pteridophyta and Spermatophyta, were found in 18 selected market spots. Information is provided on the origin, the plant parts used, the wa...

The study of the essential oils obtained from 10 wild Mentha pulegium L. populations scattered all over Greece has shown that the content of pulegone varies greatly, ranging from

The distribution of Salvia pomifera subsp. pomifera (Cretan sage) on the island of Crete is presented. The essential oils of six populations scattered on the island are studied. The essential oil content varies from 2.1–4.2%, whereas the main oil components were in all cases α- and/or β-thujone (27.4–72.3% and 7.1–40.8%, respectively). The comparis...

In vitro propagated plantlets representing two distinct chemotypes of Mentha spicata, viz. plants producing essential oils rich in piperitone oxide and piperitenone oxide (chemotype I) and rich in carvone and dihydrocarvone (chemotype II), were grown in the field under ambient or ambient plus supplemental UV-B radiation, biologically equivalent to...

The essential oils of Mentha longifolia subsp. petiolata and M. x villoso-nervata growing wild on scattered localities on the island of Crete (S Greece) are studied. The results of qualitative and quantitative analyses, by means of GC and GC/MS, have shown that all oils are characterized by the high contribution of C-3 p-menthane components, and in...

The essential oil content and composition of Salvia fruticosa (Greek sage) plants growing wild in 20 localities scattered on the island of Crete are studied. The results of our analyses have shown a noticeable variation in the essential oil content (ranging from 1.1 up to 5.1%) and the amount of the four main oil components: 1,8-cineole (22.7-64.2%...

Seedlings of two chemotypes of mint (Mentha spicata L.), i.e. the piperitone and piperitenone oxide rich wild mint (chemotype I) and the carvone and dihydrocarvone rich spearmint (chemotype II), were grown to maturity in the field under ambient or ambient plus supplemental UV-B radiation, simulating a 15% ozone depletion over Patras (38.3°N, 29.1°E...

Origanum vulgare L. is a polymorphic species, growing wild throughout the Mediterranean, the Irano-Turanean and the Euro-Siberian region [1]. It is distinguished into six subspecies, four of which viz. subsp. vulgare, subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart, subsp. gracile (Koch) Ietswaart and subsp. viridulum (Martrin-Donos) Nyman are found in the Balkan P...

The commercial name “sage” is attributed to aromatic species of the genus Salvia which produce essential oils rich in 1,8-cineole, α- and β-thujone, and camphor. Among the 22 Salvia species occurring in Greece, three species are characterised by these features, viz. S. fruticosa Miller, S. pomifera L. and S. officinalis L. In the frame of a wider r...

Karousou, R. & Kokkini, S.: Distribution and clinal variation of Salvia fruticosa Mill. (Labiatae) on the island of Crete (Greece). — Willdenowia 27: 113–120. 1997. — ISSN 0511-9618. The distribution of the aromatic species Salvia fruticosa on the island of Crete (S Greece) is presented in a grid map. Discriminant analyses of the variation in morph...

The essential oil content and composition of Mentha spicata plants, collected from 11 localities, scattered across the island of Crete (S. Greece), have been studied. The qualitative and quantitative essential oil analyses by means of GC and GCMS, have shown that these are characterized by a high quantity of trans-piperitone oxide and/or piperiteno...

The essential oils of Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum plants collected in late autumn from six localities of three distinct geographic areas of Greece were analysed by means of GC and GC-mass spectrometry. A high quantitative variation was found in the amount of the four main components; γ-terpinene ranged from 0.6 to 3.6% of the total essential oil...

The essential oil content and composition of three spearmint taxa, Mentha longifolia, M. spicata and M. x villoso-nervata, that have been found in scattered localities along the island of Crete (Greece) are studied. A noticeable variation has been found in respect to their essential oil yield; it ranges from 1.2 to 3.9%. The qualitative and quantit...

The variation of the total plant pubescence and essential oil content of Origanum vulgare plants grown all over the species range in Greece has been studied. In respect to their glandular and non-glandular trichomes. o. vulgare plants are differentiated along a direction fromeastern and central Aegean islands, through Crete and Peloponnese, to the...