Trailing African Daisy

I find a lovely, small bush of Trailing African Daisies (Dimorphotheca jucunda) growing quietly in a shade of tree-covered hillside in western Malta. A road from Mgarr to Rabat cuts sharp bends here, and the remains of the Victoria Lines fortifications stand just a stone-throw away.

The species name jucunda is Latin for “pleasant” or “delightful” — a fitting name for a plant that brings bright color and buzzing pollinators to otherwise dry or rocky areas. Like most flowers in the Asteraceae family, the Trailing African Daisy is beloved by bees and butterflies. Its petals seemingly help guide insects straight to the nectar, which is especially important in ecosystems with limited resources. The plant may look delicate but it’s incredibly resilient and able to withstand drought, wind, and poor soil. It forms carpets or small clusters, covering ground near rocks, walls, or walking paths, and often blooms with just a bit of spring or autumn rain.

I really can't tell whether someone grows these daisies here or they made a 'lucky escape'. There’s a small path nearby leading to looks like someone’s private property, so either is plausible. According to the MaltaWildPlants, the ornamental shrub has been becoming popular in Malta in recent years, but so far only few short-lived escapees in road margins have been seen. “Apparently it cannot survive summer without irrigation,” concludes the article. Interestingly, while it’s not native to the island, it is not considered invasive and typically coexists well with local flora.

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You can find my plant and animal observations on iNaturalist - an online social network for sharing biodiversity information, a crowdsourced species identification system and a tool for recording organism occurrences.

The article was originally published on Medium on April 25, 2025.