Visitors in spring will be overwhelmed by the multi-coloured masses of wild flowers in Sicily. A huge variety of native Mediterranean and introduced plants flourish on terrain that can be both harsh and extraordinarily lush. The range embraces delicate insect orchids, the unusual Orchis italica whose straggly pink petals resemble outstretched men, broom shrubs with explosive clusters of golden blooms, bright wild irises, rare white peonies, resplendent sun or rock roses (Cistus) and spiky pink-bloomed caper plants straggling over old masonry, not to mention a generous array of aromatic herbs, the likes of thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, oregano (‘splendour of the mountain’ in Greek) and pungent seaside wild fennel – a dream for any cook. In spring hillside fields are carpeted with carmine velvet crops of Hedysarum, like sainfoin, grown for forage.

Memorable surprises also come in the form of minuscule alpine plants that bloom on the blackened lava terrain of Etna up to a record 3050m above sea level, a mere incandescent stone’s throw from the very active central craters! The vast slopes of the volcano, in fact, host an astonishing variety of unique flowering plants (Astragalus or milk-vetch) and trees (the pale Scandinavian-like birches) endemic to the mountain, along with dense forests of chestnut and majestic Corsican pines.

In all a mere 4% of Sicily’s territory is estimated to be occupied by forests. Medium-altitude mountainous zones mean vast woods of downy and evergreen holm oak and their affiliates, together with areas of the silvery-barked Aleppo pine with long, bright green needles – as it is drought resistant, it is often used for reforestation, particularly on rocky terrain close to the coast. A special mention is due the curious manna ash, a flowering tree long cultivated in both Sicily and Calabria for its sugary sap containing mannitol, a white alcohol once used for medicinal purposes (a mild laxative) or in dietetic sweets, now all but substituted by synthetic substances. Long slashes were made in the bark of tree in August and the manna (not to be confused with the biblical substance, a lichen in all probability) was scraped off then dried as cannoli tubes. The Madonie and the Zingaro Reserve are good places to see old trees still marked with the cuts. Abandoned carob trees are also common, the seed pods fed to livestock or cooked up for confectionery. A further example of man’s inventiveness can be seen in the exploitation of a mountain variety of the ubiquitous euphorbia, or spurge, whose acrid milky juice, an irritant, was employed to stun river eels.

Orchis italica is a rare delight

Back in the lowlands, the unusual dwarf fan palm, the sole native palm in Europe, is widespread in Sicily, and its dried fronds are still woven into robust baskets, as in the past. A stockier, orange-tinted ornamental palm which harks from the Canary Isles can be found in many a public garden. The spiky fleshy leaves of the monstrous agave, or century plant, punctuate the Sicilian landscape nowadays, far from its native Mexico. Its impressive candelabra-like flowers, marking the end of the plant’s life, appear on stems reminiscent of gigantic asparagus, straight out of a science fiction film. The very first agave in Italy was planted in the botanical gardens of Padua in 1561.

Pretty rock roses

Zàgara is the Arabic/Sicilian name for the heady scent of oranges and lemons in blossom, a familiar delight to springtime travellers. The trees were imported from Asia long ago and now form the backbone of the agricultural world in Sicily. Loquat trees laden with their refreshing orange globe fruit, a 19th-century arrival from Japan, are a common sight alongside the citrus orchards. Another staple, the olive, native oleasters were improved by grafting cuttings from related cultivated types which came with early Greek settlers.

Another colourful immigrant, bougainvillea, from Brazil (introduced to Europe in 1829), brightens many a garden wall and terrace, its papery flowers ranging from burgundy-purplish through to orange. One unmistakable landmark plant that spreads like wildfire through abandoned fields, forming impenetrable thorny barriers, is a cactus – the prickly pear, also known under the colourful if misleading name of Barbary fig. Its introduction to Italy from South America is attributed to none other than Christopher Columbus. From spring through to summer it sports pretty, bright yellow, paperish flowers amidst its long, bristling spines, as well as reddish-purple egg-shaped fruit, edible if not particularly tasty once all the insidious prickles have been carefully extracted.

Visitors from the Antipodes will be surprised at the sight of numerous eucalypts, originally introduced to the Mediterranean over past centuries to help drain swampy areas, and which have since themselves become a paradoxical drain on the precious water resources in many cases.

Many of the species referred to above can be grouped under the vast class of Mediterranean maquis, which still accounts for a considerable range of altitudes on Sicily. Hardy, low, evergreen tree and impenetrable shrub cover combined with aromatic plants are apparently resistant to the scorching near-drought conditions of a typical Sicilian summer. However they succumb to fire, as oily substances ignite in a flash, but growth can be restored in a matter of months.

Seashore walks are always rich in plant life, with interesting examples such as the stunning yellow horned poppy, lilac sea rocket, purple-tinged sea holly and pungent artemisia. The rather nondescript glasswort, or Salicornia, found on salt-ridden marshes and dunes, has jointed, bright green fleshy stalks which supply potash-rich ashes, long used in glass-making throughout the Mediterranean. Underwater plants include an unusual flowering seaweed which forms meadows and comes under the evocative appellation Posidonia oceanica (‘king of the sea’). Its fronds form floating cushions, though is more commonly seen in dried form, as the old leaves are pulverised then rolled into curious pebble-shaped balls by wave action, to be washed up on the beaches especially along the southern coast. Vast banks of seaweed strands deposited on the sand can even provide a habitat suitable for the endemic marigold.

Prickly pear blooms

While spring is undeniably the best time to go walking in terms of the flowers, autumn has its own specialities, such as unusual concentrations of cyclamens in the woods and the striking purple flowers of the poisonous mandrake. Also known as the love apple for its use in potions, not to mention as a painkiller in medieval times, it is similar to the gentian, though is enclosed by spreading dock-like leaves.

Cyclamens are common in upland woods

Wildlife

Crocodiles from the Nile, believed to have been imported by Arab conquerors during the 10th century, once prospered in Sicilian waters. Reports СКАЧАТЬ

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