The Sicilian squill is a perennial plant endemic to Malta, Sicily and Calabria in southern Italy.

The plant grows from an underground bulb that can survive in shallow soils in valleys, garigue and maquis.

In Sicily and mainland Italy it is a very rare species. In Malta it is also considered a scarce plant.

A few days ago I found it growing in good numbers in a valley along the south Maltese coast.

In one area I found a patch of soil in which there were more than 30 plants in flower and many others still in the process.

The flowers are light bluish grey, sometimes so light they are nearly white. The inflorescence consists of small flowers growing around a short stem, creating a pyramidal shape.

In Maltese, the Sicilian squill is known as għansar ikħal.

The scientific name is Scilla sicula. The scillas are found mostly in the hot arid regions of the Mediterranean.

Scilla is derived from the Greek word for ‘to hurt’ or ‘harm’.

The name was given to this genus because of the poisonous nature of the bulbs. It is also similar to Scylla, a mythical 12-headed sea monster which in ancient times was believed to live opposite Charybdis, a vortex from hell. The Greeks believed that Scylla and Charybdis lived in the Straits of Messina.

When navigating through the dangerous straits, Greek sailors had to decide whether to sail close to Scylla or Charybdis.

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