Newly-discovered Sea Lavender named after Maltese botanist Edwin Lanfranco

A flowering plant discovered by a University of Malta team on the Maltese shoreline has been named after the valued botanist Edwin Lanfranco, the author of several major contributions to the floristic knowledge of the Maltese islands.

The flowering plant – named Lanfranco’s Sea Lavender – is a small woody shrub living along a very narrow coastal limestone rocky strip, showing close relationships to the coastal Maltese Sea‑Lavender (Limonium melitense, il‑limonju ta’ Malta), but differs genetically and in some other physical features.

Limonium lanfrancoi, is only found in a small area within the Maltese archipelago and is unique to the world. It is considered an endangered species with a very restricted distribution in the Maltese Islands.

Limonium lanfrancoi is considered an endangered species with a very restricted distribution in the Maltese islands

The Lanfranco’s Sea Lavender was described by a team from the University of Malta and the Università di Catania. The Maltese scientists included s Dorita Agius, a lecturer at Junior College and a student at the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Biobanking of the University of Malta. The team from Catania included Prof. Salvatore Brullo, who has done extensive studies of the flora of Malta and is considered an authority on the group of plants Limonium.

“'New species often develop in isolated environments, where they change to adapt to the specific environment. Plant species living on the Maltese shoreline are adapted to this harsh environment. We are planning to study these characteristics to be able to improve crop production especially with the steadily increasing global temperatures,” Agius said.

The new Limonium species is strictly protected in Malta in terms of the Flora, Fauna and Natural Habitats Protection Regulations under the Environment Protection Act, which makes its collection, picking, sale, transport and export are prohibited.

The new species is also located in an area protected under the Environment Protection Act (Cap. 549), which is also a site declared as a Natura 2000 site under the EU Habitats Directive. The exact location is not being disclosed due to it highly restricted distribution, so as to safeguard it due to its rarity.

ERA director Darrin T Stevens thanked Agius and her co‑workers for spearheading this work as part of their research. “Such research work is changing our perspective on our rich biodiversity, noting how so many new native species being described from Malta is the last few years,” he said.