OPTIMA Newsletter 38

Publications
“Flora u fawna ta’ Malta”, published in
1995, was translated into English in the
following year. In view of its great success,
the book has now been reprinted. It is an
excellent example of popular scientific writing
to promote the awareness of natural diversity,
in its beauty and value, among the
general public. For nature lovers visiting the
Maltese Islands it can be warmly recommended.
Three parts of very unequal size deal,
respectively, with the physical and biological
environment, the flora, and the fauna.
One of the merits of the book is that it gives
consideration to all groups of macroscopic
organisms. Naturally, animals far outweigh
plants, to which the present review is necessarily
restricted; but be assured that Maltese
insects, seashells, fish and crabs have their
own beauty and interest.
The botanical text is entirely by Edwin
Lanfranco, the illustrations by Victor Falzon.
The latter consist of watercolours
grouped together in plates, 14 in all, plus
occasional drawings in the text. The presented
species are all illustrated: 22 algae, 24
fungi (three of them lichen-forming) and
267 vascular plants. Selecting which species
to include and which to leave out most have
been a difficult task, successfully mastered.
One finds both the most common and representative
species of the islands’ flora,
including naturalised aliens, and the rare
endemics which are Malta’s pride. The
endemic Palaeocyanus crassifolius is the
national flower. Once forming one of three
endemic genera, of which only chenopodiaceous
Cremnophyton remains, it has recently
been merged with Cheirolophus.
W.G.
48. 47BEdwin LANFRANCO & Guido LAN-
FRANCO – Il-flora Maltija. [Kullana
Kulturali, 47.] – Indipendenza, Malta,
2003 (ISBN 99932-41-38-5). V + 166
pages, 42 halftone illustrations, 192 colour
photographs on 32 extra plates; hard
cover.
In many respects the concept of this
book resembles that of the previous item,
but restricted to botany. Here again, a selection
of representative species was made,
mostly the same, and all those which are
presented in full are illustrated. Illustration,
however, is of a different kind, consisting
partly of halftones by Guido Lanfranco and
partly, for seed-plants only, of colour photographs
by Edwin.
Cryptogams are not neglected. Macroalgae
are particularly well represented, with
27 mostly marine species; furthermore, there
are 9 higher fungi, 5 lichens, 5 bryophytes
and 3 pteridophytes. Spermatophytes naturally
predominate, with 192 fully treated
species, among them 12 of the 18 island
endemics. Often, additional taxa are mentioned
in the text.
Perhaps the plan already exists – but
would this book not be a prime candidate for
translation into English?
W.G.
49. 48Basilikê BLAMÊ, Stamatês ZOGKARÊS
& Panagiôtês D. DÊMOPOULOS – Belanidodasos
Xêromerou Aitoloakarnania.
Oikotouristikos odêgos. [The oak
woodland of Xeromero, Aetoloakarnania
– western Greece]. – Panepistêmio
Iôanninôn, Ioannina, 2003 (ISBN 960-
233-142-9). 71 pages, many illustrations,
mostly in colour (photographs,
drawings, maps), 5 tables; paper.
Xeromeros, which means dry place, is a
large area situated between the river Aheloos
and the Ambracian Gulf. This booklet,
which calls itself an ecotouristic guide, deals
with its southern portion, roughly confined
within the triangle formed by Astakos,
Etolikó and the Ozeros Lake: A country of
wooded hills, where Greece’s largest forests
of Valona oak (Quercus ithaburensis subsp.
macrolepis, Greek velanidia) grow.
This is a brilliantly illustrated nature
guide, centred on the Valona oak woods but
by no means confined to them. Topics cov-
(28) OPTIMA Newsletter No. 38 2009