ARGOTTI BOTANICAL GARDENS AND THE FLORA OF MALTA. ,579 



Scilla sicula— This has several varieties of colour, from white to 

 deep blue. The latter form is cultivated, and the size of the umbels 

 has enlarged. Mr. Harry had splendid specimens in his garden. 



Sempcrvivum arboreum. — Though a true Sicilian plant, like almost 

 all the Maltese plants, it is regarded as not having been introduced. It 

 produces large golden trusses, which are often used. 



Silene sericea. — This closely resembles in general appearance our 

 cultivated S. pendula, which is also a native, but is not common. The 

 former is as abundant as Daisies, waste ground being perfectly red with 

 it. It is not collected for sale, but is often gathered for rooms. 



Tordylium apulum. — This common umbellifer has large white flowers 

 on the circumference of the umbel, like the wild Guelder Rose. It is 

 collected somewhat largely for sale. 



Triticum sativum. — Wheat grown in saucers, &c, till the germi- 

 nating plants are several inches in length, is much used as decoration at 

 Christmas. 



Tulipa sylvestris. — This is abundant in two particular valleys, but 

 nowhere else at the present time. It resembles our English form. 

 Cultivated, it gives rise to several varieties. 



Urginea Scilla. — The Medicinal Squill is extremely abundant on all 

 rocky parts of the island. It is exported to England and elsewhere ; and 

 is often dug up, the bulb stripped of a few outer scales, and then put in 

 vessels of water for temporary decorations as on hotel dinner-tables. 



The Floea of the Maltese Islands. — As the reader might like 

 to know something more of the flora of the Maltese islands, I add the 

 following details : — 



The last geological upheaval seems to have left the Maltese islands 

 as perfectly denuded limestone rocks, connected by a low-lying land with 

 Sicily. A large fault on the south side appears to imply a more decided 

 severance from Africa. This is now indicated by the fact that the 

 soundings between Malta and Sicily do not exceed 75 fathoms ; while on 

 the south side they reach to upwards of 400 fathoms. 



Evidence of a considerable amount of fresh-water action — such as of 

 old continental rivers — is seen in the " wieds," or deep and narrow ravines 

 with steep rocky sides, in the occasional "swallow-holes," like those so 

 common in Derbyshire, and in the presence of caves. The last two are 

 no longer in connection with running water. They often contain the 

 last remains of the old land surface, and, together with some fissures, 

 have yielded the well-known fossil fauna. 



The wieds mainly run, at least ultimately, northwards ; small brooklets 

 now occupying them finally find the way into the sea, with one or two 

 exceptions, on that side. 



The south coast is composed of lofty and precipitous rocks. 



The flora corresponds with the geologically historical features, in that 

 it is almost entirely Sicilian, a few truly African plants being in a 

 decided minority. 



With regard to the relative proportions of Maltese plants, of the 700 

 and odd species there are about 400 genera, so that the flora agrees with 

 Sir J. D. Hooker's observations of tropical and other islands, in that the 



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