The small flowers of the white mignonette grow on a columnar stalk that looks like a lamb’s tail, hence its Maltese name, denb il-ħaruf abjad.

The flowers are so small that to appreciate their beauty, you should move in close and, if possible, use a magnifying glass to study the details of the individual flowers.

The white mignonette grows in Europe, Asia and North Africa but has also been introduced in the Americas and Australia. It is now also cultivated as a garden plant.

Garden varieties can grow up to a metre high but the wild plants found in the Maltese islands hardly ever grow half as tall.

This species grows mainly in disturbed habitats and is commonly found throughout the Maltese islands. It can be seen flowering between December and May.

Mignonettes were grown in Victorian England in pots and placed on windowsills to counteract the noxious smell of the city air with their scent. In Roman times the plants were used to produce a sedative and to treat bruises. Today, an oil extracted from the flowers is used in perfumery.

A species closely related to the white mignonette is the yellow mignonette. A yellow dye called weld was extracted from its roots as far back as 3,000 years ago. Its production only stopped at the turn of the 20th century when cheaper synthetic dyes became available.

The yellow mignonette is also found in the Maltese countryside but, unlike its relative, it is a very rare plant.

In Maltese it is known as denb il-ħaruf isfar. If you are lucky you can find this plant in flower in April and May.

Both species are rich in nectar and pollen and attract large numbers of butterflies and bees.

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