Have you spotted the different carob trees in Malta? These bloom differently depending on gender
If you get a whiff of a pungent smell, that is probably the male tree.
One of the most loved trees here in Malta is the Carob Tree and during the Autumn months, especially October and November, one can spot it blooming in the Maltese countryside.
But did you know that unlike most plants, the Carob Tree can be either female or male?
The huge difference between the male carob tree and the female carob tree is that only the female tree produces the pods that we make Malta’s traditional gulepp (carob syrup) from.
Male carob trees instead typically have flowers that produce pollen and leave quite a strong smell which isn’t as pleasurable on the nose for anyone passing by. Although this is highly important, as the smell attracts the insects which carry the pollen across to the female tree were they have sticky flowers for the pollen to stick on.
Even the physical appearance of the male and female flowers is different.
The female flower eventually transform into the carob pods we see hanging from the trees during the later summer.
By removing the male tree from the vicinity of the female tree, you’re ruining the chances of the female tree blossoming to its full capacity.