A short walk across Comino is enough to realise that its vegetation feels markedly different from that of Malta and Gozo. This is not just an impression: Comino’s flora is genuinely distinct. Because the island has remained sparsely inhabited, many of its natural habitats survive in an almost pristine state, largely free from the invasive species and ruderal plants that took over the larger islands.
For example, the ubiquitous Cape Sorrel MT: Qarsu (Oxalis pes-caprae) MT that carpets Malta and Gozo appears only in a few small patches on Comino. Instead, the island’s most common plant is the native Golden Star MT: Għajn il-Baqra tax-Xatt (Asteriscus aquaticus), a species that is surprisingly infrequent elsewhere in the archipelago.
Moreover, common plants that are widespread on Malta and Gozo, such as Crown Daisy, Wild oats, Wild barley, Poppies, and Fennel, are encountered only rarely on Comino. This marked difference in vegetation is also shaped by the island’s geology. Comino is almost entirely composed of Upper Coralline Limestone, the largest continuous expanse of this rock type in the Maltese Islands. With no underlying clay to retain moisture, the island is naturally more arid, favouring Mediterranean xerophytes – plants that are adapted to survive in dry, sun-exposed conditions, often in thin layers of soil.
Despite its small size of just 2.8 km² (around 1% of the archipelago), nearly 500 plant species have been recorded from Comino. A recent study on the flora of Comino published in 2026 confirmed that around 330 species are currently extant. Prevailing species are the shrubs known as the Mastic Tree MT: Deru (Pistacia lentiscus), the Maltese Shrubby Kidney-vetch MT: Ħatba s-Sewda (Anthyllis hermanniae subsp. melitensis) and the Maltese Spurge MT: Tengħud ta’ Malta (Euphorbia melitensis), both of which are Maltese endemics; the bulbous and perennial fragrant French Daffodil MT: Narċis (Narcissus tazetta); and the annual species: Lesser/Slender Centaury MT: Ċentawrija rqiqa (Centaurea pulchellum/tenuiflorum ), the Golden Star mentioned above, two species of Scarlet Pimpernel MT: Ħarira Ħamra / Kaħla (Lysimachia arvensis and L. loeflingii), and the Beard Grasses MT: Denb il-Liebru (Polypogon maritimus and P. subspathaceus).
The dominant natural habitats in which most of these plants thrive are:
1. West Mediterranean clifftop phrygana (garigue vegetation);
2. Thermo Mediterranean pre-desert scrub (habitats with large shrubs);
3. Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation (vegetation on sheer cliffs)
4. Vegetated sea cliffs of the Mediterranean coasts (plant communities growing on rocky coastal shores).
The island also hosts two small but important specialised habitats: a sand-dune remnant at Santa Marija Bay and an old olive copse at il-Ħażina, both strictly protected. This is why the vegetated area at Santa Marija Bay is cordoned off. Scattered pockets of Aleppo Pines MT: Żnuber (Pinus halepensis) on the island are not native; they were introduced in the late 20th century and have never formed part of Comino’s natural flora.
About half of the currently occurring species are rare to very rare, highlighting the fragility of the island’s flora under increasing pressures and greater threats, namely a warmer, drier climate and increased human activity, mostly driven by overtourism and tourism-related services. Of these rare species, some are only or mostly refuged on Comino, namely the Maltese Star-thistle MT: Xewk ta’ Malta (Centaurea melitensis), Hispid Marshmallow MT: Ħobbejża sufija (Malva setigera), and the Oval Purse MT: Ġarġir ta’ Kemmuna (Hornungia procumbens subsp. revelierei). Sadly, some species have already disappeared from the island, such as the sand‑dune plant Purple Spurge MT: Ġemmugħa tar-Ramel (Euphorbia peplis), the Glandular Mullein (Verbascum creticum), once recorded near the former isolation hospital, and Stinking Madder MT: Putorja (Plocama calabrica), which formerly grew close to the chapel. Amongst the internationally protected species included in the Habitats Directive are the endemic Maltese Pyramidal Orchid MT: Orkida Piramidali ta’ Malta (Anacamptis pyramidalis subsp. urvilleana) and the subendemic Maltese Toadflax MT: Papoċċi ta’ Malta (Linaria pseudolaxiflora).
Comino’s plant life, rich and untouched by centuries of isolation, is now increasingly threatened by human pressure. Every visitor plays a part in safeguarding this natural heritage. By keeping to marked paths, avoiding trampling vegetation, respecting cordoned areas, not picking plants and mushrooms and leaving no litter behind, you help ensure that Comino’s rare and endemic species continue to survive.
The scientific study was published in the peer-reviewed journal PhytoKeys in April 2026 and can be accessed here.
Article curated by Stephen Mifsud; photo credits are by Stephen Mifsud unless otherwise specified.
Website: https://www.maltawildplants.com/
