ABGOTTI BOTANICAL GARDENS AND THE FLORA OF MALTA. 581 



The few indigenous trees are mostly located in the wieds or old river 

 ravines, being of small size and passing into shrubs. Thus, the common 

 Sloe, Hawthorn, and Pear are more inclined to be bushy than tree-like. 

 There are a few tall specimens of Fraxinus Ornus, the 'Flowering Ash,' 

 which yields the manna of commerce, in one valley (Boschetto). There 

 are two species of Willow (Salix alba and S. pedicellata), of which males 

 only occur, and Populus alba. 



Of cultivated trees, the Carob is conspicuous everywhere, but it is 

 always stunted when exposed. In the Kirda and Encita valleys, however, 

 it grows to a good- sized and symmetrical tree. A solitary and forlorn- 

 looking Date is occasionally conspicuous ; Figs and Prickly Pears are 

 often grown by the walls in the open fields. Oranges, Lemons, &c, are 

 mostly within more enclosed areas. 



Of shrubs, the following are examples : The Caper is common on the 

 walls of Yaletta and on the rocks. Pistacia Lentiscus (allied to P. vera, 

 which supplies Pistachio nuts) is not uncommon ; and a leguminous shrub, 

 Anagyris fcetida, occurs in one place. Rubus fruticosns, var. discolor, is 

 a form of Blackberry with scarcely edible fruits. The Myrtle was thought 

 to be extinct, but I met with a bush in the Wirda valley, where the rare 

 Ephedra frag His was once found, but appears to be now extinct. The 

 only species of Heath, Erica multiflora, of which large bunches or flowers 

 are brought to market, is common over the rocky parts of the island. 

 Rosemary occurs as large bushes on the south side ; and a very hand- 

 some Euphorbia, E. dendroides, six to eight feet high, is somewhat local. 

 The scrambling Smilax aspera (allied to Sarsaparilla), and the Prickly 

 Asparagus, A. acutifolius, are common. The dwarf and common Elders 

 are occasionally to be met with. 



The following plants are a selected few, taken as illustrating each of 

 these areas respectively : 



1. Roadsides and Waste Places. — There is often a stretch of green 

 between the road and the low stone walls which take the place of hedges 

 in Malta, with or without a small ditch or gully by the side of them. A 

 great variety of plants occur here. Thistles, white and red, are abundant, 

 including the handsome Milk Thistle, and Cynara spinosissima, with 

 very large leaves. Yellow species of Centaurea, as C. melitensis, and the 

 blue Borage are common ; while the ground is carpeted with Daisies 

 (Bellis annua), the crimson Silene sericea, and the orange 'Marigold,' 

 Calendula arvensis. There are various Grasses, interspersed occasionally 

 with the Buttercup, Ranunculus cheer ophyllos. The common Mallow, 

 Malva sylvestris, abounds, but is always prostrate on the ground, as well 

 as M. parviflora, cultivated as a pot-herb in Egypt. 



The deep blue Anchusa italica and the white Echium italicum are 

 common, the Boraginece being well represented in Malta ; E. violaceum, 

 a Jersey plant, occurs in one spot only. Euphorbias abound, one species, 

 E. pinea, being ubiquitous. Mentha Pulegium, or Pennyroyal, occurs in 

 very dry places, with small hairy foliage, and also as a sub-aquatic plant 

 with smoother and larger leaves. The ubiquitous Oxalis cernua replaces 

 turf of Grass, borders the gullies, climbs up the walls between the loose 

 stones, comes out at the surface, appearing like a fringe around them, 



