The Sea Squill (Urginea pancratium), known in Maltese as għansar, is a familiar perennial plant across the Maltese Islands, where it thrives in coastal garigue, sandy stretches, rocky areas near the sea, and even fallow fields. Its resilience allows it to flourish in some of the driest parts of the landscape, marking a dramatic seasonal change as summer gives way to autumn.

This plant grows from a large bulb, which can measure up to 10–15 cm in diameter and is often partly visible above ground. Earlier in the year, broad, smooth, shiny green leaves emerge, but by the height of summer these wither and disappear. It is during late summer and early autumn that the Sea Squill truly makes its mark, sending up tall, bare flower spikes before any new leaves appear.

The stems, which can reach up to a metre in height, are crowned with clusters of white star-like flowers. When blooming in large numbers, they transform stretches of countryside, particularly in Gozo, into a ghostly white spectacle that stands out against the parched, sun-scorched terrain, especially striking at dusk.

Beyond their visual impact, the flowers are an important nectar source for honeybees and other pollinating insects at a time when few other plants are in bloom.

However, the Sea Squill must be admired with caution, as all parts of the plant are poisonous. It also carries conservation importance, being listed as a threatened species in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands (1989) and protected under Maltese law (Legal Notice LN311/2006, Schedule VIII).

This combination of beauty, ecological value, and rarity makes the Sea Squill a truly remarkable feature of Malta’s natural heritage.

Have you ever seen the Sea Squill in all its glory?