The fagonia is a flowering plant species found in most Mediterranean countries, from Spain to Lebanon, along both the northern and southern shores of the sea.

It grows in dry, stony and rocky habitats and garigue, often on calcareous soils. In Malta it is rare as it is restricted to the clay slopes along the northwestern coast of Malta, and it is not found in Gozo.

In Maltese it is known as fagonja, a name derived directly from its scientific name Fagonia cretica. This indicates that this species probably did not have a folk name because the people were not familiar with it due to its rarity.

Its bright magenta flowers appear in spring, but this year it is already in flower, possibly because of the warm days we have been having this winter.

The fagonia belongs to the caltrop family, whose own name is derived from the shape of the fruit of members of its species.

In Malta it is rare as it is restricted to the clay slopes along the northwestern coast of Malta

A caltrop is an anti-personnel weapon that has two or more sharp nails positioned in a way that when the weapon is thrown on the ground one of the nails always points up.

Caltrops were used to stop or slow the advance of horses, elephants and humans. Nowadays caltrops are used to stop vehicles with pneumatic tyres.

The only other member of the caltrop family found locally is the Maltese cross, which is known in Maltese as għatba. This is a scarce plant that grows in dry, open habitats which got its name because its fruit resembles a Maltese cross. Because of this, in the past it was erroneously said to grow only in Fort St Angelo – although it probably did grow inside the fort as it is still found mostly in disturbed habitats in the harbour area.

As with other members of the caltrop family, the Maltese cross has five-spiked fruit which, when stepped upon by an animal, becomes embedded in its foot, an ingenious way of dispersal which can be painful to those animals helping in its dispersal.

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