Plant Community Ecology

The garigue at San Pawl tat-Tara comprises 11 square-kilometers of karstland primarily dominated by Euphorbia dendroides and is listed as a nature reserve under the Trees and Woodlands (Protection) Regulations of the laws of Malta. A variety of endemic species inhabiting this garigue are identified and include Anacamptis urvilleana, Chiliadenus bocconei, Ophrys melitensis, Orobanche ramosa ssp. muteli f. melitensis and Zannichellia melitensis. This study serves to create a list of the species occurring in the garigue community both as reference for future use and for its conservation importance. A statistical analysis of the vegetation points out the trends observed in the community structure.