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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Chasmanthe floribunda (African Flag) |
Chasmanthe floribunda (IRIDACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Chasmanthe floribunda(Salisb.) N. E. Br.
Published in Trans. Roy. Soc. South Africa 20: 274 (1932) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Iridaceae Juss. (The Iris Family)
23 species from the Iridaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | African Flag, Cobra Lily |
Maltese name(s) : |
Kasmanti kommuni |
Status for Malta : |
Naturalised Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World)
and spreads and integrates to form established, non-invasive populations.
Species may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Geophyte ( perennials bearing underground bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, stolons, etc. ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
January – April |
Colour of Flowers: |
Red or Orange |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Chasmanthe: ()
floribunda: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Cannot be planted in the wild (rural areas) since the species may be invasive (see ERA guidelines) |
Remarks : |
Often confused and reported from the Maltese Islands as Chasmanthe aethiopica or Chasmanthe bicolor. . This species is reported in many literature as Casmanthe bicolor or C. aethiopica which are closely related species. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Plants 60–120 cm; corm depressed-globose, 40–70 mm diam. Stems 1–2-branched. Leaves 8–10, mostly basal, basal longer than cauline; blade lanceolate, ± reaching base of spike, 18–35 mm wide. Spikes 25–40-flowered; outer spathe 13–15 mm, apex obtuse to truncate; inner ± equaling outer, apex bifurcate; flowers distichous. Tepals: perianth tube 35–45 mm, 9–12 mm proximally, often twisted, ca. 40 mm distally, base pouched; dorsal tepal horizontal, 28–33 × 7–9 mm, much exceeding others; lateral tepals patent or recurved, 12–15 × 4–7 mm; lower median tepal slightly smaller than laterals; filaments 50–55 mm; anthers 7–8 mm; ovary 6–9 mm, style branching shortly below and opposite to anthers (or exceeding them); branches 7–10 mm. Capsules 10–15 mm. Seeds 5–7 mm diam. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Field margins and abandoned fields
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Native region outside Europe |
South Africa (incl. Cape Province)
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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[aAE(G)]
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| Links & Further literature
(1 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
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Contribution to the alien flora of the Maltese Islands: New records, observations on invasive species and taxonomic updates |
Stephen Mifsud (2017) |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
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Online Purchase (Images)
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| Contribute Information or Report Errors |
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GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
