Species name :

Asphodelus ramosusL.
Published in Fl. Dan. 12(35): 1, t. 2041 (1832)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Asphodelus aestivus Brotero

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [WFO] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

Plant Family :

Asphodelaceae Juss. (The Asphodel Family) Previously included in Liliaceae
6 species from the Asphodelaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Branched Asphodel, Common Asphodel

Maltese name(s) :

Berwieq

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) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

January – April

Colour of Flowers:

White

Toxicity:

Not particularly toxic

Name Derivation :

Asphodelus: apparently asphodel was used to refer a duplicate or copy of a Lily or Daffodil plant (for its close resemblance) but with eaten roots, since the first described plants for this genus did not have much roots, but only tubers. (Greek origin)

ramosus: ()

Planting in rural areas :

Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines

Remarks :

For long, the Flora of Malta applied the taxon name Asphodelus aestivus Brotero for this species as was the case in Florae of many other countries in the Mediterranean Region. However, A. aestivus is endemic to Portugal and the branched plants in the Mediterranean region are instead Asphodelus ramosus. They primarily differ in the size of the fruit capsule, where they are larger from 9mm in A. ramosus. In Malta and several Mediterranean countries, this species was known under the misapplied taxon Asphodelus aestivus Brotero for a long period of time. Asphodelus aestivus, which is endemic to Portugal, is similarly branched but differ in having smaller fruit capsules measuring 5-8 mm in length (9-16 mm in A. ramosus)