2. Wavy-Leaved Mullein

The countryside is fast drying out as the heat elbows in. The lush winter greenery is a memory, and most spring flowers have by now got pollinated, wilted, and seeded. But some plants defy the spreading drought and flower round about now. For their bravery, these plants get to flaunt their wares with very few competitors about. One such late-spring flower is the lovely Wavy-leaved Mullein (M: Xatbet l-Andar). Rising on a thin stem with several spindly branches, it produces a profusion of flowers, pale yellow with brownish-red middle, and leaves with the wavy edge that give the plant its name. The Wavy-leaved Mullein grows mostly on disturbed ground and along country roads. And unless it falls victim to our roadside cleaners’ eternal love affair with the herbicide sprayer, it should flower for a few more weeks.

Text and picture Victor Falzon. Copyright to Birdlife Malta.