Deep inside caves, plant life is either extremely scarce or otherwise totally absent, which is due to the fact that plants need sunlight in order to manufacture food and therefore survive. However, the occasional thin ray of light may sometimes manage its way through, and this is an opportunity upon which mosses and ferns capitalize without fail.
The picture above shows the common maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillusveneris L.) taking advantage of such an instance at Għar Ħassan. The scant sunlight and nutrient-poor limestone soil are enough for the small but hardy plant.
Adiantum is a feature of many 'traditional' Maltese gardens due to its preference for shaded areas. The vernacular name in Maltese is Tursin il-Bir (lit. water-well parsley). Of course, true parsley is a flowering plant, and has nothing to do with the species in question.
The picture above shows the common maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillusveneris L.) taking advantage of such an instance at Għar Ħassan. The scant sunlight and nutrient-poor limestone soil are enough for the small but hardy plant.
Adiantum is a feature of many 'traditional' Maltese gardens due to its preference for shaded areas. The vernacular name in Maltese is Tursin il-Bir (lit. water-well parsley). Of course, true parsley is a flowering plant, and has nothing to do with the species in question.
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