National Species- Red Coral & Thick Rooted Campanula

Red Coral

Mineral by its skeleton, vegetable by appearance, but truthfully an animal, red coral, Corallium rubrum, has fascinated mankind since the prehistoric era. Essentially an endemic species to the Mediterranean, its magical and medicinal properties feature in many legends. The red coral lives affixed on substratum rocks from 5 m deep, but it can be most often found in depths ranging from 30 to 400 m. Over time, it grew very appreciated as a commercial commodity, notably for its use in jewellery. It is a species whose fishing is regulated.

Thick Rooted Campanula

Perennial plant 10 to 30 cm tall, the thick-rooted campanula, Campanula macrorhiza, grows on rocks in the south-east of France, but also in Spain, Italy and in Algeria. It can be found in Monaco on the rocky walls of the Rampe Major.