The Sicilian Snapdragon is commonly known in Maltese as Papoċċi Bojod or Ras il-Mewt. This perennial is endemic to Sicily and Malta. On our islands it is commonly found in rocky sites or growing on walls, especially on fortifications.

The scientific name of this plant is Antirrhinum siculum. The word Antirrhinum probably is derived from the greek words “anti” meaning imitating and “rhis” meaning nose – most likely to denote the flowers’ likeness to an animal’s snout.

The adult plant may reach a height of 15-60 cm in height. The flowers of the Sicilian Snapdragon are yellow with creamy-white. They have a fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon, that opens and closes its mouth when squeezed laterally. The upper lip and tube of these flowers have parallel purple streaks and strips, whilst the lower lip has a yellow palate. These flowers give off a strong sweet fragrance and are mainly pollinated by insects, such as bees.

The stems of this flowing plant are erect and freely branched, often having tufts of narrow leaves growing directly from the stem.

On the lower part of the stem the leaves usually grow from the same point in groups of three or more, whilst on the upper part of the stem the leaf arrangement is more irregular.

The fruit of the Sicilian snapdragon is an elongated capsule containing hundreds of tiny seeds, which when mature are liberated through openings through the movement of the stems by wind action. All endemic plants, with the exception of a few, are protected in Malta. One should not pick, collect, cut, uproot, destroy or damage such plants.

Should you require more information, please contact nature.requests@mepa.org.mt

The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. Malta, together with many other countries around the globe, is carrying out a number of initiatives to celebrate life on earth and the value of biodiversity for our lives. We are all invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: Biodiversity.