Micromeria acropolitana, the little plant that could

I came upon a story today that I found quite amusing, It's about the micromeria acropolitana, a small phenomenal plant that remains a mystery of the Greece's botanology. The quirky plant can only be found on the Acropolis, and is reportedly unable to grow anywhere else.

The twenty centimetre tall plant that blooms from May to June with little pink blossoms was first discovered by French botanologists Rene C.J.E Maire and Marcel G. C. Petitmengin on August 30, 1906, as they were touring Greece. It was officially entered into botanology books by Austrian botanologist Halacsy who named it Micromeria athenae.

Forgotten from 1908 onwards, it was later noticed again by professor Artemis Yiannitsaros from the Botanology School of the University of Athens in 1998. She spoke of a plant that is fast disappearing. In 2004, Grigoris Tsounis studied the ecosystem atop the Acropolis and identified the plant, keeping its exact location secret in order to protect it from prying tourists.

Micromeria is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, widespread across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, with a centre of diversity in the Mediterranean region and the Canary Islands. There are almost eighty sub-species. The name is derived from the Greek words μῑκρος (mīkros), meaning 'small', and μερίς (meris), meaning 'portion', referring to the leaves and flowers.

I have no idea if the ancient Hellenes knew of this plant as well, or if it's a far more recent species, but  it sure is tied to the sacred area now.