Flora Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Provence French Riviera Provence Cote d'Azur Provence Alps Also: [ Birds | Flora | Fauna ] Select: [ Flowers List | Trees List ] Graphical Index: [ White | Purple | Blue | Red | Yellow | Orchids ] Because the ice-age glaciers did not reach the Mediterranean area, many plants failed to spread northward with the retreating ice as occurred throughout the rest of Europe. This has resulted in leaving many species unique to specific locations within this region. The Mediterranean heat in the South of France is also the source of the perfume industry (with the town of Grasse being the "perfume capital of the world). The indigenous plants concentrate their oils as a protection againt the heat, providing the highly-scented nectar that results in hundreds of perfumed products. The trees are the most distinctive flora in this part of the world, and the umbrella pine is the most distinctive of all, with its outline so clearly resembling an open umbrella. The Aleppo pine, on limestone and the maritime pine, on acid soils, are both common along the coast and are typically Mediterranean. A variety of oaks grow here, from the scrubby holm oak of the coast to the typical Pubescent oak of mid-altitudes and, so necessary for a wine-producing country, the cork oak. This last grows strictly on the cristaline formations such as the Esterel, Tanneron and the Massif des Maures. The umbrella pine (photo) might be the most distinctive tree, but the olive tree is the most typical for this Mediterranean country side. Olives have been growing here for around 2500 years, and when you wander the hills, you'll cross long-abandoned stone terraces built and repaired by hand over many hundreds of years ago.