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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Allium sphaerocephalon subsp. arvense (White Round-headed Garlic) |
Allium sphaerocephalon subsp. arvense (AMARYLLIDACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Allium sphaerocephalon subsp. arvense(Guss.) Arcang.
Published in Comp. Fl. Ital. 702 (1882) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Amaryllidaceae Jaume St.-Hil (The Daffodil or Amaryllis Family)
28 species from the Amaryllidaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | White Round-headed Garlic |
Maltese name(s) : |
Tewm ta' Għawdex |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Geophyte ( perennials bearing underground bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, stolons, etc. ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.) |
Flowering Time : |
May – July |
Colour of Flowers: |
White |
Toxicity: |
Mildy toxic, can cause adverse conditions if consumed in large quantities |
Name Derivation : |
Allium: The classical Latin name for garlic. (Latin origin)
sphaerocephalon subsp. arvense: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
Remarks : |
Locally frequent at the coastal cliffs in Gozo, very rare in mainland malta. Possibly introduced by Gozitan farmers as a trial crop. A very rare Allium species found only on the cliffs of South West to West of Gozo. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Bulbs 1-2 cm in diameter, ovoid; outer tunics membranous or coriaceous, sometimes breaking into parallel fibres; bulblets white or yellowish, acuminate, stalked and enclosed within sheath on lower part of the stem. Stem 5-90 cm. Leaves 2-6, up to 30 cm x 1-4 mm, fistular, semicylindrical, canaliculate, sheathing the lower ¼-½ of the stem. Spathe up to 2 cm, usually 2-valved, shortly beaked, persistent, shorter than the umbel. Umbel 1-6 cm in diameter, usually less than 3 cm, subglobose to very broadly ovoid, sometimes with bulbils; pedicels 2-30 mm, unequal. Perianth cylindrical to narrowly ovoid; segments 3.5-5.5 x 1.2-2.5 mm, white with green or yellowish keel, the outer mostly narrowly ovate or lanceolate, keeled, the inner slightly narrower, obtuse to almost truncate or subacute, papillose or smooth on keel and surface. Stamens exserted; outer 3 filaments 4-7 mm, simple or rarely tricuspidate, the inner 3 with the basal lamina 1-2 times as long as the central cusp, the lateral cusps shorter to longer than the 1.5-3 mm central cusp; anthers reddish before dehiscence. Capsule c. 4 mm | |
Habitat in Europe |
Rupestral dry and open habitats.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Coastal cliffs mostly in the island of Gozo
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Distributional range |
C. to E. Mediterranean region
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Albania, Bulgaria, Crete, Greece, Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Sicily and/or Malta
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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AE(G) Ag Al Eg Gr LS Ma Si Tn Tu(A)
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
