Species name :

Drimia pancration(Steinh.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt
Published in Jour. Linn. Soc. London (Bot.) 13: 221 (1873)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Uriginea maritima (Steinh.) Baker

Synonym that was used for long in Malta: Urginea pancration (Steinheil) Phillippe

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [PlantList] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

Plant Family :

Asparagaceae Juss. (=Liliaceae) (The Asparagus Family)
33 species from the Asparagaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Sea Squill, Sea Onion, White Squill

Maltese name(s) :

Basal tal-għansar, Għansar

Status for Malta :

Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man

Frequency :

Very Common     Common    Frequent    Scarce     Rare    Very rare    Extinct

Growth form :

Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: GEOPHYTE ( bearing underground bulbs, rhizomes, stolons, etc. )
Germination [info]: Monocotyledon

Legal Protection :

Protected by law: Schedule VIII of [S.L. 549.44] (Exploitation subject to management measures)

Red List (1989) :

Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.)

Flowering Time :

August – October

Colour of Flowers:

White

Toxicity:

Toxic, and may lead to irreversible damage or death if consumed in large quantities

Name Derivation :

Drimia:

pancration: Related or resembles the genus Pancratium which in turn is derived from the Greek word meaning All-potent (mighty) as used by Dioscorides (40 - 90 AD). (Greek origin )

Planting in rural areas :

Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines

Remarks :

Considered as endemic or subendemic by legal notice SL 549.44 but this species has a rather wide distribution in the central Mediterranean.