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''Hyoseris frutescens'' is a species of flowering plant called ''Żigland t'Għawdex'' in Maltese and Maltese Hyoseris or Gozo Hyoseris in English. This species is 
Info compiled by Jeffrey Sciberras
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1430602 frutescens Endemic flora of Malta Taxa named by Salvatore Brullo Plants described in 1988
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to the Maltese islands
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
,http://www.maltawildplants.com/ASTR/Hyosceris_frutescens.php where it is frequent and widespread in Gozo
Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After ...
but rare in Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. It was first discovered on Gozo, hence its second English name, then later found on the larger island Malta, in three separate localities. Its distribution range covers the entire western half of the perimeter on the island of Gozo, while on the island of Malta it is found on pocket isolated populations along the western cliffs of the island. It occurs in habitats
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
such as cliffs, coastal garigue
Garrigue or garigue ( ), also known as phrygana ( el, φρύγανα , n. pl.), is a type of low scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
It is found on limestone soils in southern Fran ...
, rubble walls and boulder screes, and mainly in shady areas. The Maltese Hyoseris is one of the most archaic species in its genus to date. It is easy to cultivate by seed and it flowers all year round, but mostly in Spring and early Summer. Seeds are small achenes each with a pappus and are distributed by wind. It is a perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...
species.
The leaves are succulent, similarly fleshy lobed to ''Hyoseris lucida'', but it has more lobes on each leaf and they are less pointy. The flowers very similar to those of ''H. lucida'', but larger, about the same size as those of ''H. radiata''. Flowering stalks are greenish, unlike those of the previously two mentioned species.
It is a legally protected plant (Maltese Legal Notice 311/2006) and has a restricted distribution, though it is quite frequent at the coastal perimeter of the island of Gozo (2nd largest island of the Maltese archipelago).
References
SCIBERRAS, J. & SCIBERRAS, A (2009) Notes on the distribution of Helichrysum melitense,Hyoseris frutescens and Matthiola incana melitensis in the Maltese islands. The Central Mediterranean Naturalist 5(1):28-34. Nature Trust Malta publications.External links
Info compiled by Jeffrey Sciberras
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1430602 frutescens Endemic flora of Malta Taxa named by Salvatore Brullo Plants described in 1988