Wild Plants of Malta - Plant Family Index

MaltaWildPlants.com by Stephen Mifsud

MaltaWildPlants.com - A website dedicated to the flora of the Maltese Islands

17 Jan 2021 (Web-stats)

External Links:

Index of Plant Families (5 families in this page)

Yam

Iris

Lily

Water-Hyacinth

Catbrier

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DIOSCOREACEAE R. Br. ( Yam Family )				Subfamalies: nil. Family Description: Dioecious perennial herbs with subterranean tubers. Leaves cordate or rarely truncate at base, entire. Flowers small, in axillary clusters, spikes or racemes; sometimes the female flowers solitary. Perianth persistent, the male campanulate, 6-lobed, the female deeply lobed or with 6 minute segments, greenish to whitish. Ovary superior, 3-locular, with 2 ovules in each loculus; styles 3. Fruit a capsule or berry.

Botanical Name

Common Name

Maltese Name

Flowering Period

Thumbnail Picture

Profile Type

Tamus communis

Main Synonym :

Dioscorea communis

Black Bryony

Brijonja Sewda

Apr-May

Normal Profile
with
14
images.

IRIDACEAE Juss. ( Iris Family )				Subfamalies: Iridoideae; Isophysidoideae; Crocoideae; Nivenioideae; Patersonioideae; Geosiridoideae; Aristeoideae Family Description: Herbaceous perennials, usually with a bulb, corm or rhizome. Leaves usually equitant, ensiform, occasionally linear. Inflorescence terminal, 1- to many-flowered. Perianth petaloid, 6-partite, radially or bilaterally symmetrical, usually with a hypanthial tube. Stamens 3, opposite the outer perianth-segments. Ovary inferior, usually 3-locular and with many ovules. Style 3-lobed, branches entire or divided, sometimes petaloid. Fruit a capsule.

Botanical Name

Common Name

Maltese Name

Flowering Period

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Profile Type

Chasmanthe floribunda

(Salisb.) N. E. Br.

Main Synonym :

Antholyza floribunda Salisb.

African Flag

Kasmanti

Jan-Apr

Normal Profile
with
22
images.

Crocus longiflorus

Rafinesque

Main Synonym :

Crocus odorus Biv.

Yellow-throated Crocus

Żagħfran Selvaġġ Skars

Nov-Dec

Detailed Profile
with
44
images.

Freesia laxa

(Thunb.) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

Main Synonym :

Gladiolus laxus Thunb.

African Lapeyrousia

Friżja Irqiqa

Feb-Apr

Normal Profile
with
6
images.

Freesia leichtlinii

Klatt

Main Synonym :

Freesia muirii N.E.Br.

Leichtlin's Freesia

Friżja Selvaġġa

Feb-Mar

Normal Profile
with
4
images.

Freesia leichtlinii subsp. alba

(G.L.Mey.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt

Main Synonym :

Freesia alba (G.L.Mey.) Gumbl..

White Freesia,
Leichtlin's White Freesia

Friżja Selvaġġa Bajda

Feb-Mar

Normal Profile
with
13
images.

Freesia × kewensis

J.Wright

Main Synonym :

No synonyms for this species

Red River Freesia,
Ambiance Freesia,
Port Salute Freesia

Friżja Tal-ġonna

Feb-Mar

Normal Profile
with
10
images.

Gladiolus communis s.l.

Main Synonym :

Gladiolus gussonei Lojac.

Eastern Gladiolus,
Common Corn-flag

Ħabb Il-qamħ Tal-blat

Mar-Apr

Normal Profile
with
15
images.

Gladiolus italicus

Miller

Main Synonym :

Gladiolus segetum Ker-Gawler

Field Gladiolus,
Italian Gladiolus,
Cornfield Gladiolus

Ħabb Il-qamħ Tar-raba

Mar-Apr

Detailed Profile
with
38
images.

Iris albicans

Lange

Main Synonym :

Iris madonna Sprenger

Cemetery Iris,
White Cemetery Iris,
White Flag Iris

Fjurduliż Abjad

Mar-May

Normal Profile
with
10
images.

Iris foetidissima

Main Synonym :

Xiphion foetidissimum (L.) Parl.

Stinking Iris,
Gladwyn Iris,
Beefsteak Iris

Fjurduliż Tal-Bosk,
Fjurduliż Tal-Buskett,
Fjurduliż Tad-dell

Mar-May

Normal Profile
with
6
images.

Iris germanica

Main Synonym :

Iris spectabilis Salisb.

German Bearded Iris,
German Iris,
Blue Flag Iris

Fjurduliż Ikħal

Mar-May

Normal Profile
with
7
images.

Iris pseudacorus

Main Synonym :

Iris lutea Lam.

Yellow Iris,
Pale Yellow Iris,
Yellow Flag Iris

Fjurduliż Tal-ilma,
Fjurduliż Isfar

Mar-May

Normal Profile
with
5
images.

Iris pseudopumila

Tineo

Main Synonym :

No synonyms for this species

Southern Dwarf Iris,
Dwarf Bearded Iris

Bellus

Jan-Mar

Detailed Profile
with
47
images.

Iris sicula

Todaro

Main Synonym :

No synonyms for this species

Sicilian Iris

Fjurduliż Sqalli

Apr-May

Normal Profile
with
15
images.

Iris tectorum

Maximowicz

Main Synonym :

Tectiris tectorum (Maxim.) M.B.Crespo, Mart.-Azorín & Mavrodiev

Japanes Roof Iris,
Wall Iris,
Japanese Iris

Maltese Name Not Known

Mar-May

Normal Profile
with
0
images.

Iris xiphium

Main Synonym :

Xiphion vulgare Mill.

Spanish Iris

Fjurduliż Tal-ġonna

Mar-May

Normal Profile
with
6
images.

Moraea aegyptia

(Delile) comb. nov.

Main Synonym :

Gynandiris sisyrinchium subsp. aegyptia

Large-flowered Barbary Nut-Iris

Fjurduliż Tax-xagħri,
Fjurduliż Selvaġġ

Mar-Apr

Normal Profile
with
0
images.

Moraea sisyrinchium

(L.) Parlatore

Main Synonym :

Gynandriris sisyrinchium (L.) Parl.

Barbary Nut Iris

Fjurduliż Salvaġġ

Apr-May

Normal Profile
with
12
images.

Romulea bulbocodium

(L.) Sebastiani & Mauri

Main Synonym :

Crocus bulbocodium L.

Mediterranean Sand Crocus

Żagħfran Tal-Blat Kbir

Feb-Mar

Normal Profile
with
11
images.

Romulea columnae

Sebastiani & Mauri

Main Synonym :

Trichonema columnae (Sebast. & Mauri) Rchb.

Lesser Sand Crocus,
Small-flowered Sand Crocus

Żagħfran Tal-blat ċar,
Żagħfran Tal-blat żgħir

Feb-Mar

Normal Profile
with
8
images.

Romulea ramiflora

Tenore

Main Synonym :

No synonyms for this species

Sand Crocus (branched)

Żagħfran Tal-blat Skars

Feb-Mar

Normal Profile
with
13
images.

Romulea variicolor

Mifsud

Main Synonym :

No synonyms for this species

Maltese Sand Crocus

n/a

Feb-Mar

Normal Profile
with
28
images.

Romulea × melitensis

Bèguinot (pro. sp.)

Main Synonym :

No synonyms for this species

Maltese Tufted Sand Crocus

Zagħfran Tal-blat Ta' Malta Mqanfed

Feb-Mar

Normal Profile
with
13
images.

LILIACEAE Juss. ( Lily Family )				Subfamalies: Calochortoideae; Lilioideae; Medeoloideae Family Description: Perennial herbs, often with bulbs, corms, rhizomes or tuberous roots; sometimes climbers, rarely annuals or small shrubs. Flowers usually in racemes or panicles, more rarely solitary or in cymes or umbels, regular or slightly zygomorphic, usually hermaphrodite. Perianth of two whorls, each of (2-)3(-5) usually petaloid segments, free or variously connate. Stamens usually as many as perianth-segments, free or connate. Ovary 3-locular, superior (very rarely 1-locular or semi-inferior); styles 1 or 3(-5). Fruit a loculicidal or septicidal capsule or a berry.

Botanical Name

Common Name

Maltese Name

Flowering Period

Thumbnail Picture

Profile Type

Tulipa australis

Link

Main Synonym :

Tulipa sylvestris subsp. australis

Southern Tulip,
Wild Tulip

Tulipan Selvaġġ

Mar-Apr

Normal Profile
with
6
images.

PONTEDERIACEAE Kunth ( Water-Hyacinth Family )				Subfamalies: nil. Family Description: Perennial, rhizomatous, aquatic herbs. Leaves petiolate. Inflorescence a spike or raceme, subtended by a spathe-like bract. Flowers hermaphrodite, more or less zygomorphic, usually ephemeral. Perianth-segments 6, petaloid, connate at least at the base. Stamens 3 or 6. Ovary superior, 3-locular, or 1-locular by abortion, 1- to many-seeded. Fruit a capsule, tightly invested by the persistent perianth.

Botanical Name

Common Name

Maltese Name

Flowering Period

Thumbnail Picture

Profile Type

Eichhomia crassipes

(Martens) Solms-Laubach

Main Synonym :

Pontedera crassipes

Water Hyacinth

Maltese Name Not Known

Sep-Oct

Normal Profile
with
4
images.

SMILACACEAE Vent. ( Catbrier Family ) Conservative synonym: Liliaecea				Subfamalies: nil. Family Description: Smilacaceae is a family formerely grouped with the Liliaceae and consists of 4 genera sharing about 375 species. They are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere, with a few extending into north temperate regions. The familiy differs from the Liliaceae in its viney and 'woody' habit and in the netted venation of the leaves, although it has sometimes been classified within it. It shares the viney habit and prickles on the stems and leaves with the closley related Dioscoriaceae. The Smilacaceae also differs in that it has long, distinctive tendrils in most cases. Leaves are simple, entire and alternate or rarely opposite, often leathery. Sheathing at the leaf base may be modified into stipular tendrils. Flowers are actinomorphic and perfect or unisexual/dioecious. Inflorescence of solitary flowers in axils, or flowers in racemes, spikes or umbels. Hypogynous (rarely epigynous). Usually unisexual (the sexes on separate individuals), and with 6 greenish, whitish, yellowish or brownish tepals, 6 stamens and 1 superior pistil. Fruit is a berry. Seeds with starchless, hard endosperm. Habit is as a prickly, twining herb, shrub or woody vine that has or lacks tendrils. The roots of some species are used medicinally for the treatment of rheumatism and from another species, the stimulant China root is obtained.