A weed is a plant that grows where it is not wanted. The same concept applies to pests and to dirt which has been described as matter out of place. For a farmer, any plant that grows in sufficient quantities to compete with his crops is a weed. The same plant growing in a nature area is not a weed.

As we become more urbanised, the term ‘weed’ is being more often used for plants that might be disturbing our sense of aesthetics. A plant growing along the side of the road or on a pavement is often considered not to belong there and is removed.

A wild plant growing out of a crack in the ground can be very beautiful. Wild plants growing in urban areas have been found to add to a region’s biodiversity. They can host a good variety of fauna and provide pollen and nectar to many bee species which would otherwise not be able to survive there.

The negative attitude towards plants is so ingrained that some local councils actually use polluting and dangerous herbicides to remove wild plants growing along country roads. Some even make use of these chemicals to spray pavements to ensure that nature is not allowed to survive in places under their control.

For many who do not have the time to visit the countryside, wild plants can be their only link with nature

Wild plants growing in urban areas play an important role in an increasingly urbanised country. For many who do not have the time to visit the countryside, wild plants can be their only link with nature.

Agricultural weeds are often non-indigenous species native to another part of the world with a similar climate. They become weed because when growing in a new environment, they do not form part of a balanced ecological system with its controlling checks and balances.

In Malta we find a number of plant species from southern Africa, one of a small number of areas having a Mediterranean climate. The most common plant, the cape sorrel or Bermuda buttercup (ħaxixa Ngliża) is one of them. It is a native of the Cape region of South Africa, where it is not a weed.

In Maltese, weed is called ħaxix ħażin, a term also used to describe a clever but bad person who manages to get what he wants. Unfortunately, ħaxix ħażin is often used for all wild plants wherever they grow, a usage which must change ifwe are to start appreciating Maltese flora better.

portelli.paul@gmail.com