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Go to = current=20 issue	Mon, May 7,=20 2007

Online 'encyclopaedia' of Malta's wild plants

Rosanne = Zammit

Left: Stephen Mifsud. Photo: Jason = Borg.=20 Right: Wild Asparagus. Photo: Stephen=20 Mifsud.

When one googles "wild plants" or "flora Malta", the = first site=20 to come up is http://www.maltawildplants.com/, a = Maltese online=20 database of the wild plants growing in Malta and Gozo.

The site is the brainchild and creation of Stephen Mifsud = of Sta=20 Venera, a project he has been working on since 2002.

Mr Mifsud said, in an interview, that his love for = wildlife=20 started when he was a young boy who used to enjoy exploring = Wied=20 Blandun when his family lived in Paola. He used to be = mesmerised by=20 the various insects in their habitat and his appreciation = for nature=20 grew as he became older.

In 1999, when the internet was not yet so popular in = Malta, he=20 started dreaming of owning a website to describe the wild = flowering=20 plants which gave him so much pleasure but which very few = other=20 people noticed, let alone appreciated.

Through his project, he wanted to generate awareness = among the=20 public for better appreciation of this heritage. Only in = that way=20 could this natural habitat be protected, he argued.

He embarked on his mammoth task in 2002 when digital = cameras=20 became widely available making the cost of photography = affordable.=20 By that time he had started designing the site - and it has = now=20 grown to some 200 web pages and 2,800 photos.

Mr Mifsud said there are 700 to 800 indigenous plants in = Malta,=20 of which about 25 are endemic. Additionally, there are some = 200=20 other plants known as aliens, which originated in other = countries=20 and remained on the Maltese islands for decades and = centuries. He=20 has inputted online about 110, most of which are native.

Mr Mifsud said he started off with the most common, such = as red=20 poppies, crown daisy and the alien wood cape sorrel haxixa = ngliza,=20 which had been brought to Malta by a British lady from Cape = Town, in=20 South Africa. This seedless plant had been placed at Argotti = but, it=20 spread all over Malta and Gozo in 200 years.

The website, which continues to grow, is visited = regularly by an=20 international community, including many botanists, who leave = comments and congratulatory remarks. Web statistics for=20 maltawildplants give a visit count of 20,000 per month.

The aim of the site, Mr Mifsud said, is to make people = aware of=20 the beauty of wild plants in Malta, especially, since books = on this=20 topic are few and far between. This does not mean that = Malta's=20 floral heritage is sparse, he stressed. On the contrary, = compared to=20 other countries, Malta has a very rich biodiversity.

"But, unfortunately, it is not being cared for and it is = being=20 destroyed through a number of factors including = construction, which=20 is taking over a lot of the Maltese countryside, pollution = and bird=20 trapping."

For example, Mr Mifsud pointed out, Malta's 45 to 50 = different=20 types of orchids seen in the early 20th century now numbered = about=20 35.

Mr Mifsud said that during his field research, he located = a few=20 species that were believed to be extinct. These included the = Star of=20 Bethlehem (ornithogalum divergens) and the wild asparagus = (asparagus=20 stipularis). The last unconfirmed recording of the latter = was about=20 80 years ago.

It takes Mr Mifsud about a week to input all the data on = each=20 plant. He is able to dedicate the amount of time he = currently does=20 to the project only because he and his wife decided that he = should=20 be the one to take parental leave to take care of their=20 daughter.

He explained that when he decides on a plant to input, = the first=20 thing he does is identify its name. This was usually very = easy but=20 more time is needed for the accurate identification of less = common=20 plants. This involves researching reference books, internet = sites=20 and consultation.

Once the species is identified, Mr Mifsud looks for other = details, such as the Maltese and English names, synonyms, = Latin name=20 derivation, botanical data, plant description, flowering = time,=20 habitat and much more.

When all that is ready, Mr Mifsud photographs the plant = as a=20 whole and in detail - leaves, fruit, flowers and seeds, in = its=20 habitat. He also photographs its habitat and related fauna, = such as=20 common habitant insects or pollinators. This entails a = number of=20 trips at different times of the year.

Parts of the plant are collected for digital scanning to = produce=20 high-resolution images. Certain parts, such as tiny seeds = and=20 pollen, are photographed under a microscope. Photos are then = edited,=20 html coded and captioned.

To make a plant profile interesting, Mr Mifsud tries to = find=20 curious information on the plant. This can include medicinal = properties, history, propagation and cultivation notes, = legends and=20 myths as well as personal observations and comments. All = sources of=20 information are referenced.

At the end of each profile, there is an online form where = individuals and visitors can submit additional information = about=20 that plant.

The site also includes a message board, a glossary of = botanical=20 terms, references and bibliography, five indexes, an = internal search=20 engine and a flowering time chart.

After working on the site for free for five years, Mr = Mifsud is=20 now seeking sponsorships to help him get along. Two sponsors = have=20 already come forward: The Strickland Foundation and = MiddleSea=20 Insurance.

Mr Mifsud said he needs such sponsorships in order to be = able to=20 keep his project up to date and to ensure that access to the = website=20 is free, especially the gallery exposing the beauty of = Maltese wild=20 plants, because this could result in special interest visits = to the=20 Maltese islands in winter and spring.

Mr Mifsud holds a university diploma in agriculture.

The website won the Actualidad 21 century international = award in=20 2005.

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