Mysterious small red fruit scattered on ground

Requests about identification of wild plants in Malta and Gozo. (Please include precise details and pictures to help the experts in their ID process)

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Mysterious small red fruit scattered on ground

Post by MWP admin »

I remeber that it was last February when I started to find pea-sized red structures along the ground. When I examined them, they seemed to be fruit or bulbils of some sort of plant. I could not localise any mother plant producing these structures. They reminded me of Aerial bulbils of Alium (eg A. roseum) but these are produced in May usually.

I never managed to get an idea what these can be, but I am quite sure that they are of plant origin (no fauna / fungi) and probably storage organs.

Does Allium chamaemoly produce red fruit ?
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Sigra
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Post by Sigra »

Not at all sure, seems to look like Lycium Ferocissimum.

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Post by MWP admin »

The mystery lies in the fact that in the whereabouts were I found these fruit, there was no trees or shrubs (except Erica, Teucrium and Thymus spp).

One option from the hat of fantasy was some kind of fruit (Pistacia?) passed out by a bird feaces which maybe takes that appearance?

If I remeber well, the bodies were quite hard on nibbling. The time was Jan-Feb.
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Post by IL-PINE »

pignatti shows allium chamaemoly having those pea shaped things, still will have to read about it.
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Post by MWP admin »

But they are not red at least the fruit I saw were yellowish-green.

strange... :?:
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Post by IL-PINE »

or your daughter's sweets :)
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Post by HC Weber »

a cross section would be helpful. I suggest no fruits but bulbils or galls...?
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