The Limestone Garrigue of Malta at Siggiewi

The garrigue of Malta’s rocky coralline outcrops covers an ever-declining portion of the Maltese archipelago. In the interior parts of Qrendi, we walked through terraced farmland where soil has been imported to transform the rugged garrigue surface into agricultural lots, with the white of the limestone becoming the brown of the dirt divided by old stone walls separating the properties.

We continued to travel towards the southern tip of the island, stopping in the picturesque area of Zurrieq.  Standing on a lookout, we saw the Mediterranean stretching out to Africa’s Libyan coast, strange cavernous caves just below us and Malta’s chiselled canyons running deep into the island cliffs. These rocky canyons were strewn with olive-leaved germander (Teucrium fruticans) and the white hedge-nettle (Prasium majus) as well as wild spurge, thyme and rosemary. In this place of scarce fresh water or good soil, the tenaciousness and beauty of the garrigue is ageless.

The garrigue of Malta’s rocky coralline outcrops covers an ever-declining portion of the Maltese archipelago. In the interior parts of Qrendi, we walked through terraced farmland where soil has been imported to transform the rugged garrigue surface into agricultural lots, with the white of the limestone becoming the brown of the dirt divided by old stone walls separating the properties.

We continued to travel towards the southern tip of the island, stopping in the picturesque area of Zurrieq.  Standing on a lookout, we saw the Mediterranean stretching out to Africa’s Libyan coast, strange cavernous caves just below us and Malta’s chiselled canyons running deep into the island cliffs. These rocky canyons were strewn with olive-leaved germander (Teucrium fruticans) and the white hedge-nettle (Prasium majus) as well as wild spurge, thyme and rosemary. In this place of scarce fresh water or good soil, the tenaciousness and beauty of the garrigue is ageless.

Limestone cliffs

While it is believed that the exposed limestone of the garrigue formation is a result of the cutting down of the original trees to create land for agriculture by prehistoric tribes as well as the grazing of domestic animals and fires, its modern decline is in direct proportion to the urban expansion and building projects such as golf course developments in Malta.

Garrige

Returning to the capital city of Valletta, we crossed the island using at times back roads and farm trails and some unpaved single-lane paths, so that we could get a feel for the typical native rural landscape. In these rural patches of forest, carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua), olive trees (Olea europaea subsp. europaea), called in Maltese zejtuna, and common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) were abundant but there were no Tetraclinis articulata.

The ancient city of Mdina and its arid Limestone region

Tree growing in the pavement in Mdina

A walk in the San Anton Gardens in the village of Attard, just outside Valletta, gave me my first look at the native Maltese Tetraclinis articulata. This 16th-century urban park captures the history of this island nation. Many invaders/conquerors/protectors have come and gone, and each has left behind a little of their cultures, languages and gardens. The formality of the elegant alleyways and memorial fountains, the defined garden borders and the Arab-inspired irrigation system all point to these former occupants.  With the help of the European Union, of which Malta has been a member since 2004, this historic public park has been renovated and restored. It surrounds the San Anton Presidential Palace after which it is named.

San Anton Park

Where was the national native tree of Malta? The gardener of the smiled and pointed to the trees surrounding us, indicating that these are from somewhere else brought to Malta by the English, the French, and the Arabs before them. But the Maltese natives are here as well. With gusto, he asked us to follow him as he raced through the garden towards the presidential palace. There he stopped and grandly gestured to the beloved araar of Malta, Tetraclinis articulata, the oldest specimen on the island.

Beloved Arrar Tree

This grand tree was majestic.  Tetraclinis is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the cypress family, Cupressaceae, containing only one species, Tetraclinis articulata. It is native to Malta and the Western Mediterranean region. There it stood, a 200-hundred-year-old tree, with a multi-stemmed trunk and coppicing at the base. The ability of Tetraclinis articulata to coppice has been an important adaptation to survive wildfires and moderate levels of animal grazing until now.

As it matures, this tree sprouts repeatedly, forming large burrs at the base, known as lupias. These burrs contain a beautiful, patterned wood root burl, prized in the high-end wood markets of the world.

As a result of this lucrative market in root burl wood, Tetraclinis articulata is an endangered species in North Africa where large areas of the trees have been subject to deforestation, extensive poaching and over-grazing. In Morocco, over-harvesting has led the government to ban the export of the root burl wood.  In Malta it is critically endangered, mostly due to fire and grazing. According to Dr Eman Calleja, a Maltese expert in ecological restoration, Malta is working on identifying where Tetraclinis articulata is found in the wild.  An effort is being made to continue to increase these numbers and nurture more of the trees in the wild. In 2011 Tetraclinis articulata was designated as a protected tree in all locations of Malta.

The manicured gardens of the English at Valletta, Malta

We ended a wonderful day with a late lunch at the colonial-era Phoenicia Hotel, a luxurious change from the wilds of the garrigue. The hotel’s landscape incorporated many native Maltese trees and plants in a formal and well-maintained English-style garden. An elegant pool with an infinity lip had pool water flowing over the side and seemingly beyond the ancient fortifications into the harbour. In a toast to this ancient and intimate island, we could almost hear a young Elizabeth and her prince laughing at a nearby table.

Phoenicia Hotel, Valetta

Thanks
A special thank you must be made to my California friend, Denise Morris, whose enthusiasm for her beloved Malta to which she welcomed me was infectious. Our guide and naturalist, Nynki van Ek, a long-time resident of Malta was amazing in her knowledge of the local geography and flora. She is a hiker by nature and designed a Maltese journey for us from the seaside cliffs to the interior farm paths, with stops to see groves of trees in the wild and pick a few ripe carob pods.

References
Calleja, E. J., 2018. Trees and Shrubs of the Maltese Islands. First edition, Nature Trust-Fee Malta.
Maltese Nature - Garigue
Threatened Conifers - Tetraclinis articulata
Garigue in Malta
Mediterranean climate
Flora of Malta

THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN is the registered trademark of The Mediterranean Garden Society in the European Union, Australia, and the United States of America

Data Protection Consent

website designed and maintained
by Hereford Web Design