Species name :

Cynomorium coccineumL.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 970 (1753)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

No Main Synonyms

Plant Family :

Cynomoriaceae Lindl. (The Cynomoriaceae Family)
1 species from the Cynomoriaceae family is recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

General's Root, Maltese Fungus

Maltese name(s) :

Għerq il-ġeneral, Għerq sinjur, Żobb l-Art

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]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Geophyte ( perennials bearing underground bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, stolons, etc. )

Legal Protection :

Protected by law: Schedule VI of [S.L. 549.44] (strictly protected species)

Red List (1989) :

Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.)

Flowering Time :

April – June

Colour of Flowers:

Red, Brown or Dark

Toxicity:

Not particularly toxic

Name Derivation :

Cynomorium: ()

coccineum: ()

Planting in rural areas :

Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines

Remarks :

A parasitic plant which feeds on the roots of a few coastal-rupestral plant species namely Atriplex lanfrancoi but possibly switches onto roots of Limbarda crithmoides and Crithmum maritimum too. The old vernicular name 'Maltese Fungus' is huge a misnomer both because the species is not a fungus and and also for it is not a species belonging or endemic to Malta. However it was first known from Dwejra in the Island of Gozo and was called as the Maltese Fungus for many decades. The species is distributed in several Mediterranean countries especially in sand dunes of North Africa, Sicily and Sardegna. It was thought to be present also in China, but studies confirmed that it corresponds to the closely related plant :Cynomorium coccineum subsp. songaricum (Rupr.) J. Leonard (1986) - Cynomorium songaricum

The plant has been proteceted from public collection since the early 18th century by the Knights of Saint John and the location where it was known to occur - an islet called Fungus Rock, was guarded and possibly the first protected site in Europe for the presence of a valued species. Indeed, only high members of the Order of St. John could collect and make use of the medicinal virtues of the plant, while public caught in possession of the plant would have been sent in prison or to the galleries. Further information can be found in this article by Guido Lanfranco (1960).