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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Hyoscyamus albus (White Henbane) |
Hyoscyamus albus (SOLANACEAE.)
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 : |
Hyoscyamus albusL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 180 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Solanaceae Juss. (The Potato Family)
17 species from the Solanaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | White Henbane, Russian Henbane |
Maltese name(s) : |
Mammażejża, Bang |
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]: Therophyte ( annual plants, herbaceous, die after fruiting/seeding stage ) |
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 : |
April – May |
Colour of Flowers: |
Yellow |
Toxicity: |
Mildy toxic, can cause adverse conditions if consumed in large quantities |
Name Derivation : |
Hyoscyamus: Hyos- meaning a pig, and -kyamos meaning a bean, alluding that it was fedto pigs, but the name is likely a derogatory reference, as some plants of this genus are poisonous to livestock and humans (e.g. Hyoscyamus nigra);. (Greek origin)
albus: Having a white colour. (Latin origin); 2. Despite the epithet albus (white), the flower is cream-coloured, but compared to the well-known dark-flowered H. nigra, this species is relatively white! ( origin)
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Viscid annual, biennial or perennial; stem 30-90 cm, woody below when perennial, erect, branched, densely glandular-villous, the hairs patent. Leaves 4-10 x 3-8 cm, orbicular-ovate, obtuse, cuneate to cordate at base, incise-dentate with wide rounded teeth, sparsely glandular villous; petiole 2.5-5(-12) cm. Flowers sessile, except the lowest, in dense unilateral spikes; bracts leaf-like. Calyx 1-1.5 cm, densely glandular-villous; teeth c. 3 mm, broadly triangular; fruiting calyx 2-2.5 cm, ventricose below, hypocrateriform above, with short, triangular, pungent teeth. Corolla 3 cm, tubular-campanulate, somewhat zygomorphic, glandular-villous outside, usually yellowish-white, the throat greenish or purplish. Stamens included to slightly exserted. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Waste ground, streets, caves, stone piles, besides limestone walls, quarries, bastions, old farmhouses especially near the coast.
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Chromosome number(s) |
2n=68 | |
Distributional range |
S. Europe.
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Albania, the Azores, the Balaeric Islands, Bulgaria, Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Romania, Russia and former USSR, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part)
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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AE(G) Ag Al Az Bl Bu Ca(C) dCa(F G H L P T) Co Cr Ct Cy Eg Ga(F) Gr Hs(S) Ir It Jo Li LS Lu Ma Md(D M P) Rm Sa Si(M S) Sl Sn Sr Tn Tu(A E) Uk(K) [nAz(F G L M P S T) aBe Mo dSk]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 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 |
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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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Online Purchase (Images)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
