Malta’s national tree, the Sandarac Gum tree is truly a sight to behold! It is more known in Maltese as the Gharghar tree.

It was first declared as Malta’s national tree in 1992, 34 years ago!

The tree is completely protected under national legislation and cannot be cut off for any reason.

The evergreen Gharghar which can grow up to 15metres in height was believed to be extremely common on the Maltese islands in the past but it now quite a rare occurrence compared to the days gone by.

Although the tree is the national tree of Malta, it can also be found growing naturally across maquis and rocky areas near the sea in Spain.

Its leaves are thin and long and the tree is covered in cones, some of which appear all year long.

Have you ever spotted one?