Species name :

Tetraclinis articulataMast.
Published in Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc. 14: 250 (1892)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Thuja articulata Vahl

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

Plant Family :

Cupressaceae Barlett (The Cypress Family)
5 species from the Cupressaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Sandarac Gum Tree, Mediterranean Alerce, Arar Tree

Maltese name(s) :

Siġra tal-Għargħar, Għargħar

Status for Malta :

Native_n

Frequency :

Very Common     Common    Frequent     Scarce     Rare    Very rare    Extinct

Growth form :

Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 10 m high )
Germination [info]: Dicotyledon

Legal Protection :

Protected by law: Schedule I of [S.L. 549.123] AND schedule III and VI [S.L. 549.44] (Strictly protected tree species)

Red List (1989) :

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

Flowering Time :

All year

Colour of Flowers:

Inconspicuous

Toxicity:

Not particularly toxic

Name Derivation :

Tetraclinis:

articulata:

Planting in rural areas :

Encouraged to be planted in the wild that is in rural areas including ODZ.

Remarks :

This is the national tree of Malta. Was believed to be common on the Maltese islands long time ago, but now restricted in few sites and quite rare. Recentely it has been cultivated and used in agriculture and afforestation projects.