The Greek mountain tea (Sideritis L.) belongs to the genus Sideritis (Lamiaceae). Its scientific name is a derivative of the Greek word sideros that means iron. Sideritis is known in Greece from anciety, when Dioskourides (A.D. first century) described it.

Today, it is widely used in Greece as a specific traditional tea endowed with a number of beneficial properties. In addition to its pleasant taste, it has a distinguished aroma and yellow or brown - yellow color.

Its important role as traditional Greek tea has imposed the need of its cultivation to meet the market increased requirements, as the production from wild selfsown plantations was insufficient to cover the demand of it. Nowdays, Sideritis is cultivated in low fertility hilly and mountainous area at over 1000 m altitude.

Because of its importance for Greek people, we were involved in Breeding of Sideritis species. So we produced interspecific hybrids by using indigenous species of Greek mountain tea. From the F₁ hybrids, 15 superior were selected on the basis of their yield and quality of their essential oil. The interspecific hybrids had higher fresh and dry weight, as well as essential oil yield than controls. Also, they exceeded their parents in yield and fresh and dry weight as well as the inferior parent in the essential oil content.

As a result, the interspecific superior hybrid has been introduced in the mountainous and semi-mountainous marginal areas of this country for cultivation significantly increasing grower's income.