Nigella damascena

Νιγέλα η δαμασκηνή

Etymology of Nigella damascena: "Nigella" comes from "nigellus" and it is the Latin female diminutive word for "niger", more precisely meaning "small and black", a reference to the size and the color of its seeds. The epithet "damascena" means "of Damascus", referring to a claim that the flower was brought from Syrian Damascus to Europe, in the late 16th century.

There are six Nigella species/kinds in Cyprus, all peculiar and rare.

Nigella damascena is a rare plant, encountered in Central Western Cyprus and the Kerynia district, at an altitude of up to 600 metres only. It grows in fields, meadows, woodlands and rocky areas. Their flowering period begins in April and finishes in June.