Nomenclature

Species name:

Zannichellia melitensis   Brullo, Giusso & Lanfr.

Author(s):

Salvatore Brullo
   Italy, 1947- Gianpietro Giusso
   Italy, 19xx- Edwin Lanfranco
   Malta, 1949-

General names:

Maltese Horned Pondweed

Maltese name:

Ħarira tal-Ilma ta' Malta

Plant Family:

Zannichelliaceae   (Horned Pondweed Family)

Name Derivation:

Zannichellia = After Giovanni Gerolamo Zannichelli (1662-1729), a Venetian botanist, naturalist, physician and pharmacist (Latin);
melitensis = From or related to the Maltese islands. (Latin).

Synonyms:

None

Remarks:

Endemic to the Maltese Islands.

Plant Description

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Habitat:

Rock pools formed by rain water retained in rock basins. Sometimes in brackish water of water courses.

Sources in Malta:

Rare, seen in isolated rock pools at Wied Moqbol, Wied Hal-Sabtan, Wied il-Ghasel and Wied Dalam. Reported to be also present in Gozo and Comino.

Plant Height:

Stems of mature plants can reach up to 20cm in length floating horizontally in the water.

Flowering Time:

Dec-May

An aquatic plant found in some rainwater rock pools on valley sides or garigue. All parts of this perennial plant is found under water, sometimes just under the surface, with no aerial parts growing up. It consists of pale, flexible stems with small nodes from which thin, green leaves emerging out as tufts or opposite pairs. The stem is not straight single unit, but consists of small stem parts that are at an angle to each other and join each other at stem nodes. Adjacent nodes are spaced from each other by about 3cm. The leaves are 2-5cm long, linear, thinly flat and with an entire margin, sometimes widen slightly at the upper part.

The inconspicuous, tiny flowers are monoecious, and both male and female flowers are grouped close to each other inserted at stem nodes. In one group, there is 1 male flower with a single stamen and no perianth segments, and between 2-5 female flowers with one carpel each and membranous tiny perianth. Stamen filament is about 5-10mm long while style of female flower is < 2mm long and lance-shaped. Pollination takes place underwater.

Fertilised ovaries grows to about 3-4mm long fruit that are described as achenes. Each have a characteristic crescent shape (quarter-moon shape) with a bulging outline (plicate) and slightly curved beak, 1mm long. Achenes are subsessile (have a short pedicel) and detach from the mother plant when fully mature.

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