Malta’s rich biodiversity is home to many fascinating native species, but did you know one of them is named after a celestial sign? Meet ‘Ħalib it-Tajr Kbir’, also known as the Large Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum arabicum), a striking spring-flowering plant that lights up Malta’s garigue and rocky landscapes with carpets of white, starry blooms.
The plant’s scientific name, Ornithogalum arabicum, comes from ancient Greek and literally translates to ‘bird’s milk’ (ornitho meaning bird, and galum meaning milk). This poetic name carries into the Maltese version too – Ħalib it-Tajr Kbir – which also means ‘large bird's milk’.
But don’t let the graceful name fool you – this flower goes by a much cheekier nickname in Malta’s rural areas: ‘Ħara taċ-Ċawl’, or ‘Jackdaw’s faeces’, likely due to the appearance of its seed pods or droppings left nearby by the birds!
Native to Malta and commonly found throughout the Mediterranean, this resilient plant thrives in garigue, rocky steppes, and even abandoned fields, especially in April and May, when it blooms in full glory. Under the right conditions, it forms dense mats of low green foliage, topped by clusters of stunning white flowers with dark centres, earning it nicknames like ‘Arab’s Eye’ and ‘Arabian Starflower’.
While the Large Star of Bethlehem is known to attract bees and pollinators, making it a friend to biodiversity, it comes with a caution: the plant is toxic to cats, dogs, horses, livestock, and humans, though interestingly, not to birds. So admire it, but don’t pick it, and definitely don’t let your pets chew on it!
Have you ever spotted this celestial beauty?