‘Ġnien il-Pjanti Maltin’ Botanical Garden
Archaeophytic trees(Section 5)
Valley Woodland(Section 4)
Woodland(Section 4)
Visitors'centre
Maquis(Section 3)
Garrigue(Section 2)
Steppe(Section 1)
Agriculture(Section 5)
PLANT HEALTH DIRECTORATE
Welcome to ‘Ġnien il-Pjanti Maltin’ Botanical Garden
and Visitors’ Centre, a site dedicated to the conservation
and the scientific research of local plants, and also to
the education on these plants. The site is located in Lija,
within the precinct of the Plant Biotechnology Centre
and is administered by the Plant Health Directorate.
The botanical garden holds a living collection of
indigenous wild plants together with specimens of
local landraces and varieties of fruiting trees and
crops. The botanical garden is divided into five sections
representing different landscapes of the Maltese rural
environment:
• Section 1 displays a selection of floral elements typical
of steppes and disturbed ground, bearing mostly
herbaceous (non-woody) perennial and annual grasses,
bulbous and tuberous plants, and many other spring-
blooming annual or biennial thistles, legumes, crucifers
and umbellifers. Some of these herbaceous plants may
undergo a dormancy period in summer and therefore
only appear during the wet season.
• Section 2 features a variety of low to medium-sized
perennial shrubs characteristic of garrigue, rupestral
communities and coastal wetlands. These species are
notable for their morphological adaptations to thrive in
a dry and/or saline environment and include a collection
of most of our local endemic plants.
• Section 3 presents a multitude of high shrubs and small
trees, which constitute the local maquis habitats.
• Section 4 is dedicated to specimens of trees, which in
nature form local woodlands.
• Section 5 holds interesting plants associated with
agriculture, which is further subdivided into two parts.
One part is dedicated to local varieties of fruit trees,
some of which are archaeophytic (species not originally
native to Malta but introduced in ancient times). The
other part includes examples of local agricultural crops
together with their wild relatives, for comparative
purposes, providing an insight into the effects of
artificial selection over the centuries. A herb garden
is also present, exhibiting various aromatic plants
traditionally used as culinary condiments or in medicinal
preparations.
The final design of the botanical garden took into
account the natural environmental conditions of the
various habitats and the ecological requirements of the
characteristic species.
Plants adapted to dry conditions were located in
areas exposed to the sun, while plants typical of damp
habitats were placed in shaded areas. Riparian trees,
which naturally grow in valleys, have been positioned in
the shallowest area formed by a gentle incline, where
rainwater is directed to flow. Trees formerly present in
the old garden were also integrated within the present
design.
The botanical garden is traversed by a circular footpath
passing through the various sections and designed in a
manner to control the visitors’ flow. It also features a
number of seating benches at regular intervals along the
footpath where one can further admire the beauty of
this garden.
Address:
Plant Health Directorate, Plant Biotechnology Centre,
Annibale Preca Str, Lija LJA 1915, Malta.
Website: www.planthealth.gov.mt
Telephone: 22926535
Email: [email protected]
Parliamentary Secretariat for agriculture,fiSherieS and animal rightS