578 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Hedysarum coronarium. — This is called 'Sulla,' or Maltese Clover, 

 and is cultivated for making " hay " ; when in full flower little else than 

 a crimson sheet is seen in the fields. 



Hyacinthus (Muscari) comosus. — This is very abundant in fields ; the 

 terminal barren blue corymb — the origin of the feathery process in the 

 cultivated form — is not ineffective with the dark purple bells below. 



Iris germanica. — Though not usually recognised as a wild flower of 

 Malta, I found it far away from the haunts of man in a deep rocky valley. 

 In Mr. Harry's garden it changed from purple to white, and then much 

 resembled I. florentina. 



Matthiola incana. — The Brompton Stock is abundant in the rocks, 

 fortifications, and elsewhere near the sea. It is usually purple, but a 

 variegated variety, striped with purple and white, grows on the rocks of 

 the fort just outside Yaletta. Both varieties, as well as the white and the 

 double forms, are cultivated for sale. 



Narcissus Tazetta— This is extremely abundant on all rocky ground. 

 Great quantities are collected by boys and brought to be sold in 

 Yaletta. The usual form has a thick short stem and numerous flowers ; 

 another form has slender and long stems and fewer flowers. 



Nigella damascena. — Our old-fashioned garden flower, ' Love-in-a- 

 Mist,' grows wild in the fields. 



Oj)hrys and Orchis. — There are four or five common species of each 

 of these genera. I have personally gathered many bunches of Ophrys 

 fusca and 0. bombyliflora, as well as Orchis saccata, 0. tridentata, 0. 

 piyramidalis, and 0. undulatifolia. They are not collected, however, 

 for sale. 



Oxalis cernua. — This so-called ' English weed,' introduced from the 

 Cape of Good Hope by Prof. Giacinto in 1806 as stated above, has 

 become the greatest pest in Malta, though its golden-yellow flowers 

 brighten up every field, wayside, tops of walls, crannies, &c, where it vies 

 with the ubiquitous Pellitory. It is disappointing, for though a nosegay 

 looks well for half an hour, the petals then roll themselves up, and they 

 never open again. There is a double form as well. 



Pancratium maritimum. — This handsome plant produces long leaves, 

 sometimes nearly a yard in length and broad in proportion, and is grown 

 in large pots in passages, halls, &c, for decoration. 



Phlomis fruticosa. — This shrub, with whorls of orange-coloured 

 flowers, would doubtless be more sought for if it were commoner. It 

 only grows abundantly in one valley. It is called 1 Jerusalem Sage.' 



Phoznix dactylifcra. — The Date will not ripen in Malta, so that it is 

 not cultivated. Here and there one sees a tall, solitary tree, a relic of a 

 bygone time. The foliage is sometimes used at festas. 



Reseda alba. — This Mignonette is most abundant in fields, and is 

 often gathered with the Adonis. It has a slight perfume, the corolla 

 being white, and larger than in B. odorata, making the flowers more 

 conspicuous. 



Rosmarinus officinalis. — Large bushes of Rosemary grow in several 

 rocky places ; in one I found a pure white variety. 



Salvia officinalis. — This accompanies the Rosemary in some valleys. 

 Neither plant, however, is much collected. 



