A strange red parasitic plant that is not a fungus, once so valued that the Knights guarded it.
Despite its name, the Maltese fungus is a flowering plant without leaves that lives on the roots of other plants. It grows on Fungus Rock at Dwejra in Gozo, where the Knights of St John posted a guard because it was believed to stop bleeding and treat illness.
Threats
Disturbance and picking, and loss of coastal habitat.
How to help
Admire it from a distance, and do not pick it or climb on the rock.
Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0.
