Status of medicinal and aromatic plants in - Inia

PRESENTED PAPERS 85
Status of medicinal and aromatic plants in Malta
Everaldo Attard
Institute of Agriculture, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
Introduction
Although the Maltese Archipelago has a restricted environment due to its small size, the
diversity in biological species is vast. The variation in biodiversity is mainly linked to the
connection of the warm North Africa to the cold southern Europe. The bioclimatic
conditions of Malta are also found in coastal regions of other Mediterranean countries. In
fact, about 66% of the flora of Malta is common to other Mediterranean regions. Common
medicinal flora of the Mediterranean region and Malta include conifers (Pinus halepensis and
Cupressus sempervirens), broadleaved trees (Laurus nobilis, Morus nigra, Tamarix gallica and
Rhus coriaria), fruit trees (Ceratonia siliqua, Ficus carica, Punica granatum, Cercis siliquastrum,
Nerium oleander, Citrus aurantium and Olea europea) and others (Allium sativum, Aloe ferox,
Arbutus unedo, Capparis spinosa, Myrtus communis, Opuntia ficus-indica, Origanum vulgare,
Papaver somniferum, Phytolacca decandra and Pistacia lentiscus). The other 34% of the flora is
adapted to cold European conditions (Populus alba, Salix spp. and Crataegus monogyna) and
subtropical conditions (Ceratonia siliqua, Ficus carica, Myrtus communis and Cynomorium
coccineum).
There are about 1264 vascular plant species, including casual or naturalized aliens. Of
these, 458 species possess medicinal value and have been used in traditional medicine for
several ailments (Lanfranco 1975, 1993) particularly related to the Mediterranean region.
These refer to the nervous system (15%), gastrointestinal (24%), cardiovascular (14%),
dermatological (13%) and antimicrobial (4%). Predominating medicinal plant families
include Compositae (15%), Labiatae (7%), Leguminosae (6%), Rosaceae (4%), Umbelliferae
(4%), Liliaceae (3%), Solanaceae (3%), Cruciferae (3%), Caryophyllaceae (2%), Ranunculaceae
(2%) and Papaveraceae (1%). These aromatic and medicinal herbs are found in small patches
throughout the country (Haslam et al. 1977).
Medicinal and aromatic plant status
A considerable number of medicinal plants are under threat, mainly not due to overuse but
to degradation by human activities including building and agricultural practices. Table 1
shows the status of the threatened population of medicinal plants in relation to the local
threatened plant species (Lanfranco 1989).
Table 1. Medicinal plants under threat in Malta (adapted from Lanfranco 1989)
Extinct Endangered Vulnerable Rare Indeterminate Total
Medicinal plants 9 9 5 20 1 44
Total species 109 74 44 137 34 398
Ex situ conservation
In Malta, few ex situ conservation measures are undertaken for medicinal plants. However,
the Institute of Agriculture, University of Malta in collaboration with the Micropropagation
Centre, Department of Plant Health, has looked into conservation of medicinal plants
through micropropagation. Another area of interest for medicinal plants is their yield of
secondary metabolites under in vitro and in situ conditions (Cassar 1998; Attard 2001). In the
near future, the threatened species will be considered on an individual basis in order to
regenerate their populations. The University Botanic Gardens and the Government's nursery