Endangered plant life

Close to half the about 1,000 flowering shrubs recorded to be growing in the wild on Malta - 407 to be exact, including 22 endemic plants - are under threat according to the State of the Environment Report.

The curator of the Argotti Botanical Gardens, Joseph Buhagiar said in an interview there were several factors which could threaten the survival of a species.

These could include the introduction of alien species, development, trampling over the flora in Sunday walks and agriculture.

Another factor could be taking home samples of plants growing in the wild.

The Argotti Botanical Gardens are to be provided with Lm3,500 each year to be used for plant conservation and the mass propagation of rare or endangered Maltese endemic and indigenous species.

The experiment will start on the rare national plant, the Widnet il-Bahar, the endangered national tree ta' l-Gharghar, and the extirpated shrubby horsetail.