Maltawildplants.com is now considered an online flora of the Maltese islands, portraying more than 900 species of plants found in Maltese habitats. It harbours a forum created in 2005 were memberes discuss topics about the Maltese flora and ID of plants.
Atriplex? Actually I have some 15 photos in my archive which should be this plant and in the unknown category. I had the idea that it is some Atriplex spp.
12 days to go more for 6 weeks. I really look foward as I really worked hard this 9 months for the website. The opera is still in its behind the curtain
BTW, yr photo is Atriplex prostrata right? Photos of my specimen are laying on the ground wit hascending tips. The bract and fruit is exactly the same as in your photo.
The prostrata idea came since my plant was prostrate. Have a look at the first set of photos from a specimen in Marsalforn. Maybe yours is A. halimus, but mine was not bushy, or maybe young plants have this prostrate habit at first.
Ok, finally I got myself to look into Haslam and eliminating one by one, it resulted (and I am quite sure) that it is Atriplex patula. The similar Atriplex hastata should have a flat or indented base.
Remind please, it is eatable, and some Gozitan Farmers propagate it and serve it like spinach.
At google I coudn`t find a Synonyme for the name, I have in mind.
Hmm.. in another document, A. patula is described very rare so I wonder if mine is A. patula or just a Beta maritima. What a confusing family - I'm lost
That patula You find in Germany as "weed to kill" in the fields and has more blueish (?) leafs like Yours. And it`s smaller than mine.
If it`s very rare, no wonder, I never met it on Gozo.
I know, that neither Borg nor Haslam nor Weber ( he till now )
list it, but I tried, to identify it carefully, when I found it in Bärtels Colour-Atlas of mediterranean Plants by Ulmer.
The first plants, I saw, grow in Wied Infern and some days later I saw this one near the farm at the end of Triq ta Konti in Zebbug; that is near Grazias house, where, as I suppose, You took that Althaea rosea- Photo.