Save our wild flowers

There is no denying that over the past 50 years Malta and Gozo have lost a substantial part of the countryside through mostly haphazard development. This has led to the loss of a number of endemic wild plants.

As man encroached more on our habitat, we stopped enjoying watching the barn-owl nesting in many cracks and crevices in rocks high up by the sea; our national bird singing merrily in many places around our islands and the swallowtail butterfly visiting our yards and gardens in numerous numbers.

Our islands possess over 1,000 wild plants which flower; 700 are indigenous. This is quite a large number considering the smallness of our islands.

Some existing trees like the evergreen oak (sigra tal-ballut) at Wardija are 500 - 900 years old. Other trees like the olive and the carob found in certain valleys also go back hundreds of years.

In the last 50 years, we lost more than 100 plants and if we continue to cut without limit our beautiful pheasant's-eye (ghajn is-serduq), French daffodil (narcis) and Star of Bethlehem (halib it-tajr), we would surely lose these too in a couple of years' time.

There are other rare wild plants which we should know about so that we can make an effort to leave undisturbed. All these rare plants are fighting for there own existence.

If we (or rather the authorities) do not make a real effort to save the little countryside left, then we shall be losing our wild plants and places where they grow. In other words, Malta will lose its colour or, rather, its soul.

Development should be more planned and environment wardens should be introduced without delay to supervise the countryside. Parliament legislated to conserve various wild plants, but like in many other laws and regulations, enforcement is very weak.

Regulations to protect the thyme (saghtar) were introduced back in 1932. But since then only God knows how many people have collected this plant to decorate their cribs for Christmas. Consequently, large tracts of garigue are barren of this plant today. Other regulations that prohibit the cutting without permission of the aleppo pine (sigra taz-znuber) and the cypress tree (sigra tac-cipress) were enacted in 1949 but how many people were booked for abusing these regulations since then?

In recent years, we have made an effort to preserve a very rare tree, the sandarac tree (sigra ta' l-gharghar), our national tree. In Europe, it is found only in Malta and in the south of Spain. It is found in very few wild places, including at Maqluba, Qrendi and Mellieha. Another two rare trees are the white poplar (sigra tal-luq) found in wet valleys and the evergreen oak (sigra tal-ballut) which is very scarce in the wild.

A very rare wild plant is the Malta fungus (gherq sinjur) connected mostly with the Blata tal-General in Dwejra; but it is also found on Dingli Cliffs. In old times, they thought that this plant had medicinal and magical powers. The Knights of St John had a monopoly over this plant and those caught collecting it without permission were punished by being sent to the galleons.

The Maltese cliff-orache (bjanka ta' l-irdum) produces small flowers at the beginning of autumn. It was dedicated to botanist Edwin Lanfranco in 1987 by Sicilian botanists Brullo and Pavone. It is an endemic and rare plant found only on certain cliffs. The twiggy glasswork (almeridja) is found only in salt water places like Ghadira at Mellieha, is-Salini and l-Ballut at Marsaxlokk.

The evergreen traveller's joy (kiesha) is a perennial climber which is getting more scarce every season. The same could be said for pheasant's eye (ghajn is-serduq) already mentioned, which produces red flowers in winter and spring, which, unfortunately, are collected without being given the time to produce seed. Another rare plant is the branched horsetail (denb iz-ziemel). It grows in humid valleys and in some watered soil.

The bay laurel (sigra tar-rand) is evergreen all year round. The leaves are aromatic and used with many dishes especially rabbit. Although it is cultivated, the few that grow in the wild are indigenous.

The evergreen rose (girlanda tal-wied) is a perennial climber, which like most plants flowers in spring. It is found only in certain valleys. Another rare aromatic plant is the bushy restharrow (broxka ta' Ghawdex). The flowers are yellow with red streaks and appear in spring. It is found more in Gozo than in Malta and also in Comino. Grandmaster DeRohan prohibited its collection until 15 days after the feast of St John so that it is given time to shed its seed.

The sea medick (nefel tar-ramel) is a perennial plant found only on sandy beaches. The shrubby crown vetch (koronilla) is a rare climber with very fragrant yellow flowers. It is poisonous and found mostly around Wied Babu. The Fagonia (Fagonja) which grows mostly in clay is another plant on the danger list.

The hoary rock-rose (cistu roza) produces large flowers in spring and is found in garigue areas. It is very rare. The same can be said of the narrow-leaved rock-rose (cistu abjad) which is found in only two places: one in Malta and one in Gozo.

Scarce too are the myrtle (rihan), the ivy (liedna), the sea holly (xewk ir-ramel) and the olive of which, though thousands are being planted, is still rare in the wild. The chaste tree (sigra tal-virgni), though rare, is found more in valleys in Gozo than in Malta. It is also found in Comino. The flowers are violet, sometimes pink or white, followed with bunches of fruit looking like small round peppers.

Another aromatic plant which is cultivated but still scarce in the wild is the rosemary (klin). It flowers all year round and is found both in Malta and Gozo. The Maltese toadflax (papocci ta' Malta) is an annual with small violet or white flowers in spring. It is endemic in Malta and Linosa. Although found in many rural places, it is getting scarce.

Another rare plant is the dwarf elder (sebuqa salvagga) which flowers in summer more in Gozo than in Malta. Also rare is the Maltese everlasting (sempreviva ta' Ghawdex) which flowers in May and June. It is endemic and grows only on the Gebla tal- General and in some parts of Gozo.

The Maltese star-thistle (xewk Malti) was very popular in the past but is now rare. It was named for the first time in Malta by Sicilian Boccone in 1674. The Maltese rock-centary, (widnet il-bahar), our national plant, now decorating many centre-strips and roundabouts, is surprisingly rare in the wild. The Gozo hyoseris (zigland ta' Ghawdex) is a scarce evergreen flowering all year round. It grows on rocks near the sea, mostly in Gozo.

The smooth goatsbeard (lehjet il-bodbod), the Maltese hawksbeard (melitella), the Mediterranean starfruit (damazonju), wild tulip (tulipan salvagg), Sicilian squill (ghansar ikhal), Maltese dwarf garlic (tewm irqiq ta' Malta), sea daffodil (pankrazju), southern dwarf iris (bellus), Sicilian iris, (fjurdulis Sqalli), yellow bee orchid (zunzana), Maltese spider orchid (brimba sewda), Maltese pyramidal orchid (orkida piramidali ta' Malta), southern reed-mace (buda), are all rare wild plants which should be protected to be enjoyed by future generations.

Botanist and broadcaster, David Bellamy OBE, president of Plantlife in UK, thinks that "we stand on the brink of a major natural disaster and we must act urgently." This could easily apply to us when, though aware of the need to conserve our environment, there is much to be done - and quick - if we want to save our wild flowers.