Tewm Irqiq ta' Malta
A small bulbous wild garlic found only in the Maltese Islands, first described in 1982. It flowers in June and July.
Maltese dwarf garlic is a delicate perennial that grows from a small bulb. Its thin flowering stem reaches about 10 cm and carries white or pink flowers in June and July.
It grows on arid, bare rocky ground in steppe and low garigue, in both coastal and inland places. The species was described as new to science in 1982. Its closest known relative lives far away, in Sardinia and Corsica.
It is a strictly protected endemic species in Malta and is listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands as threatened.
How to help
Admire it where it grows and leave it undisturbed: it is protected by law. Report damage to plants or their habitat to ERA.
Text: Wikipedia; Online Flora of the Maltese Islands, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Edited by the Editorial Team.
Photo: Denis Barthel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
