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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Plocama calabrica (Stinking Madder) |
Plocama calabrica (RUBIACEAE.)
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 : |
Plocama calabrica(L.fil.) M.Backlund & Thulin
Published in Taxon 56: 516 (2007) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
Asperula calabrica L. fil. Synonym that was used for long in Malta:
Putoria calabrica
(L.) DC. Full list of synonyms :
[Euro+Med]
[WFO]
[IPNI]
[POWO]
[Catalogue of Life]
[Worldplants.de]
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Plant Family : |
Rubiaceae Juss. (The Bedstraw Family)
14 species from the Rubiaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Stinking Madder |
Maltese name(s) : |
Putorja |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Nano-Phanerophyte ( small trees to large shrubs, usually shorter than 5 m ) |
Legal Protection : |
Protected by law: Schedule VI of [S.L. 549.44] (strictly protected species) |
Red List (1989) : |
Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.) |
Flowering Time : |
May – June |
Colour of Flowers: |
Violet or Pink |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Plocama: ()
calabrica: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Much branched, forming mats up to 1 m in diameter, foetid, glabrous to densely puberulent. Leaves 10-20 x c. 3 mm, obovate to elliptic-lanceolate, obtuse with revolute margin; stipules c. 1 mm, ovate. Corolla 10-15 mm, pink, the lobes 3-4 mm, linear-lanceolate. Fruit c. 5 mm, black. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Rocks and river gravels.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Chromosome number(s) |
2n=22 | |
Distributional range |
Mediterranean region.
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Albania, Crete, Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Sicily and/or Malta
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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? AE(G) Ag Al Cr Ct Cy Gr Hs(S) IJ It Li Ma Si(M S) Tn Tu(A)
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| Links & Further literature
(0 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 |
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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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
