Brimba Griża Żgħira

The bumblebee orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora) grows around the Mediterranean from Portugal and the Canary Islands to Turkey and Lebanon, and its name comes from the Greek for bumblebee. The small-flowered form was described by Stephen Mifsud from a uniform population at Pembroke, and later from the Bingemma area. Its flowers are significantly smaller than those of the normal form.

It flowers in March with brown or dark flowers, in garigue and grassy steppe, usually on exposed rocky ground. Unless it is found in other countries, the local flora regards it as endemic. It is a strictly protected plant in Malta, and it is not listed in the Red Data Book.