The endemic spider orchid

The Ophrys melitensis or Maltese spider orchid (brimba sewda) is one of twenty four species of plants endemic to the Maltese islands.

It is one of a small number of insect orchids that flower in spring. This orchid has a velvety reddish brown petal with variable metallic blue markings in the centre of it.

Another endemic orchid is the Maltese pyramidal orchid (orkida piramidali ta’ Malta) but the best known Maltese endemic is Malta’s national plant, the Maltese rock centaury (widnet il-baħar). 

It was first described by Stefano Zerafa a Maltese doctor with a keen interest in the botany of the Maltese islands.

The word endemic is often confused with indigenous. An indigenous species is a plant or animal that is native in a particular place. The opposite of indigenous is non-native. 

In the Maltese countryside we find many species of non-native species including the Cape sorrel (ħaxixa Ingliża) a native of South Africa which was introduced in Malta in the early 19^th Century.

Endemism on the other hand means that a species is found in a defined area. Thus Maltese endemic plants and animals are found in Malta and nowhere else in the world.

 There are also regional endemics. In the case of Malta these would be restricted to Malta and some small neighbouring islands such as Lampedusa, and Pantelleria or Sicily.

Many endemic species are found on islands as a result of biological isolation which allows a species to evolve separately and differently from the same species in another area. 

The number of endemic species in the Maltese islands is lower than on other Mediterranean islands. 

This is probably a result of millennia of human pressure which must have led to the extinction of many species.

Endemic species are considered as internationally important. 

Because of their restricted range they are often in danger of extinction or given a vulnerable status are often protected by means of national and international legislation. 

This article was published in The Times on 11.04.2012

Wild orchids

Orchids are my favourite group of plants. They are fascinating mainly because they are beautiful and interesting and although there are many species none of them is common.

Orchids have been arousing passions for a long time. In the Victorian era adventurous individuals embarked on orchid hunting trips in central and south America and Asia mainly to collect specimens for gardeners and horticulturalists in Europe and the USA. They often went back home with large numbers of rare species and long tales about their dangerous expeditions. 

Today many orchids are legally protected and it is not allowed to collect or export them. Although illegal trade in orchids still exists modern orchid hunters collect images. They are equipped with cameras, identification books and notebooks and often publish their results in specialist websites. Some restrict their hunting to a particular country or area while others travel and wide.

In Malta orchids can be found from the end of December to early June most species are in flower in March and April. 

Thirty eight species of orchids have been recorded in the Maltese islands. Over the past two decades the number of recorded species has increased partly because new species have been found by plant enthusiasts but also because what was considered as one species, the brown orchid, is now considered to be five different species. 

These species belong to a group known as the insect orchids. Male insects, especially bees and wasps, are attracted to the flowers which look like female members of the species. They land on them and attempt to mate. While their attempts to mate are unsuccessful they unknowingly end up with pollen on their back which is then transferred to another orchid of the same species which manages to trick them into landing on it. 

Some species of orchids enhance their performance by producing chemicals known as pheromones similar to pheromones used by female insects to attract males.

Finding, photographing and identifying orchids is an interesting and challenging hobby that can give days, weeks and months of satisfaction.

This article was published in The Times on 29.02.2012

Pyramidal orchids stunningly beautiful

Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis)

Pyramidal orchids are stunningly beautiful. In Malta they usually grow in open spaces emerging out of the short vegetation like a brightly coloured high-rise tower. 

Two species are found in Malta one of which is endemic to the Maltese islands although some years ago it was found in Puglia in Italy. The common pyramidal orchid, known in Maltese as orkida piramidali flowers in April and May while the Maltese pyramidal orchid (orkida piramidali ta’ Malta), which is not as common as the pyramidal orchid, flowers between February and April. 

The two species are very similar in shape and colour although the endemic species is usually smaller and has pale pink or white flowers.

The pyramidal orchid is found in southwestern Eurasia from Western Europe through the Mediterranean region eastwards to Iran. It can grow up to 30 cm although in Malta it is usually much smaller probably as a result of the shallow soil in which it grows and the effect of the wind. The flowers are pollinated by butterflies and moths. 

Orchid pollination was first described by Charles Darwin in 1862 in the book ‘Fertilisation of Orchids’ which had the self explanatory title ‘On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing’. 

This was Darwin’s second book after the better known ‘On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life’ which was later renamed ‘On the Origin of species’.

 Before writing this book Charles Darwin had spent five years going around the world on the ship HMS Beagle during which he collected plants, animals and rocks and which led him to formulate his theory of natural selection better known as the theory of evolution.

This article was published in The Times on 19.05.10