The Gibraltar Magazine

Europa Point’s Plants

To anyone visiting Europa Point on a strong Levanter gale, this area of the Rock is not a very pleasant one. This harsh environment is not one where anyone would expect many flowers to grow, especially when it is regularly exposed to strong winds and sea spray. But this habitat is very rich in plants, albeit plants especially adapted to cope with the conditions.

These plants are so specialised that you will not find them in the more pleasant surroundings of the Upper Rock, and they will not survive if planted there. One such plant is the shrubby seablite, Suaeda vera. It is a woody perennial, forming low, densely branched shrubs up to 50 cm tall. The leaves are fleshy, more or less cylindrical, up to 1.5 cm long. The flowers are greenish-yellow, 2 to 3 mm across in small clusters in the leaf axils. It is quite rare on the Rock, where it is only found on the Europa Foreshore, right down to the splash zone.

Another species which is not common is the lesser ice plant, Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum. This is a spreading and sprawling annual with stems up to 25 cm long. The leaves are succulent, more or less cylindrical, up to 4 cm long, and are covered in translucent papillae. The white flowers are around 1 cm across. These plants are usually found on bare, stony ground, and on rocky places close to the sea.

The shrubby orache, Atriplex halimus, is a much branched, glaucous, shrubby perennial up to 2.5m tall. The silvery-grey leaves are very distinctive, but the tiny yellowish flowers are quite inconspicuous. These shrubs grow near the coast, and on the Rock they can be seen along Europa Advance Road, and on the sea cliffs along the East Side. Individual shrubs may be seen elsewhere, such as the one on the photograph which is near Martin’s Cave.

The purple viper’s bugloss, Echium plantagineum, is one of two very similar-looking species of this genus found on the Rock. This one can be distinguished by its leaves which are softly hairy and not prickly. The stems are covered in soft bristles, and can be up to 70 cm tall. The attractive blue-violet flowers are from 1.5 to 3 cm long, arranged in an elongated panicle. This species is mainly found in southern parts of the Rock, especially Windmill Hill Flats and Europa Flats.

Of the six species of dock that can be found on the Rock, the shield dock, Rumex scutatus subsp induratus, is perhaps the most distinctive. It is a much-branched perennial, forming rounded, dense, low shrubs from 30 to 70 cm tall. They are very prominent on the stony slopes above the roundabout at Europa Point. The name of the species derives from the shape of the grey-green leaves which resemble a shield. The flowers are quite inconspicuous, but the perianth segments enlarge in fruit and become flat and papery, pale green to pink, and about 1cm across.

The wild radish, Raphanus raphanistrum, is a common species all around the southern parts of the Rock. It may be found elsewhere on the Rock, but not is such large numbers. It is a member of the mustard or cabbage family, which is characterised by the flowers having four petals in the shape of a cross. The flowers of this species are around 2 cm across, and vary from white to pale yellow, often with violet veins. It is a much-branched, rough hairy annual with stems up to 80cm tall.

A common grass of coastal regions is the curved sea hard grass, Parapholis incurva. Its very distinctive curved stems are around 15cm long, and usually lie flat against the ground. It is quite common on Europa Flats.

The members of the dandelion family are not easy to distinguish, and are easily confused. Most are yellow and the flower heads look identical. The common or annual reichardia, Reichardia picroides, can be distinguished by its blue-green, thick leaves, which are almost succulent. The pure yellow flower heads are 1.5 to 3 cm across, and the outer bracts surrounding the head are heart-shaped, with a narrow white margin. This species is only found near coastal areas.

The blunt-leaved catchfly or campion, Silene obtusifolia, is a very common and numerous species. It grows on stony and rocky places all around the coast, and can be seen in large numbers at Europa Point and along Europa Advance Road. The plants are up to 30 cm tall, and have spoon-shaped, rather thick leaves. The inflorescence is a onesided spike of pink flowers about 2 cm across. The flowers only fully open between evening and early morning.