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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Freesia leichtlinii subsp. alba (White Freesia) |
Freesia leichtlinii subsp. alba (IRIDACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Freesia leichtlinii subsp. alba(G.L.Mey.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt
Published in Gard. Chron. ser. 3, 19: 392 (1896) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
Freesia leichtlinii subsp. alba (G.L.Mey.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt Full list of synonyms :
[Euro+Med]
[WFO]
[IPNI]
[POWO]
[Catalogue of Life]
[Worldplants.de]
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Plant Family : |
Iridaceae Juss. (The Iris Family)
23 species from the Iridaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | White Freesia |
Maltese name(s) : |
Friżja selvaġġa bajda |
Status for Malta : |
Naturalised Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World)
and spreads and integrates to form established, non-invasive populations.
Species may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly. |
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 : |
February – March |
Colour of Flowers: |
White |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Freesia: ()
leichtlinii subsp. alba: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Cannot be planted in the wild (rural areas) since the species may be invasive (see ERA guidelines) |
Remarks : |
Previous records of Freesia refractafrom Malta are referable to Freesia leichtlinii s. l. Most probably Freesia refracta does not occur in Malta, and some colourful species are instead F. x kewensis. The Maltese populations of wild Freesia might even constitute of hybridogenous populations between F. leichtlinii subsp. leichtlinii and subsp. alba (known as F. x hybrida Hort.) and which it is difficult to tell apart from their closely related parents. Nevertheless individuals which look like and presumably are the putative parents have been observed. Further investigations are required to understand these wild populations of Freesia, and unfortunately there is not enough documentation about these taxa. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Corm, conical in shape, about 10 mm wide at the base, and covered with tunics of finely netted fibres. Leaves numerous, upright, and are sword-shaped, tapering to a sharp point 120-400 mm long and same height as the flowering stems or slightly longer. The flowers are produced in a horizontally bent, 2-8-flowered spike; white, often with a purple flush on the outside, sometimes with a yellow mark on the lowest tepal, and sometimes with purple in the throat, and have the strongest and sweetest fragrance of all the freesias. Corolla broadly funnel-shaped, 20-30 mm long, and are almost actinomorphic (radially symmetrical). In fact this is an easy way to identify this species as the others are more obviously irregular. The fruit is a lightly warty capsule of hard, rounded, shiny seeds. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Cultivated for ornament and naturalized
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Low garigue, disturbed rocky places, rocky ground under afforested areas,
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Native region outside Europe |
South Africa
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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[Co]
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| Links & Further literature
(1 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
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New records, taxonomic updates, and new locations for some alien species occurring in the Maltese Islands - Poster presentation for Optima Meeting XVI |
Stephen Mifsud (2019) |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
