Spanish Broom

For several weeks in Spring, clouds of sweetly scented, bright yellow flowers cover the green cylindrical stems of this shrub. Varying in size from small to large, depending on site conditions, Spanish Broom is common on dry sunny hillsides at Gangivecchio and throughout the surrounding countryside.

Scientific name: Spartium junceum

Italian common name: Ginistra di Spagna

English common name: Spanish Broom

Poppy

A favorite subject of painters and landscape photographers, the fiery orange-red flowers of poppies nodding gracefully in spring breezes create a shimmering presence (farmers might say 'infest') in cultivated crops, pasture lands and roadside vegetation at Gangivecchio and nearby areas.

Scientific name: Papaver pinnatifidium

Italian common name: Papevero pennatifido

English common name: Poppy

Sulla

Few plants of the Sicilian countryside can match the colorful display of bright red flowers that clothe this low spreading plant in spring. Whether you see it as a roadside volunteer or in a pure stand covering scores of hectares the glowing crimson color of its blooms is an unforgettable sight. In Sicily Sulla is cultivated as forage, silage or a hay crop for feeding sheep and cattle.

Scientific name: Hedysarum coronarium

Italian common name: Sulla

English common name: Italian sainfoin, French honeysuckle

Giant Fennel

If we were to select a single plant species as a symbol of Sicilian spring flora it would have to be Giant Fennel or Ferla. In mid-spring Giant Fennel produces an impressive upright bloom stalk as much as 6ft (2m) tall from a basel clump of fine textured foliage. This large, vigorous perennial is easily confused with the edible Fennel, which also grows in the area. A simple identity test is to crush a small sample of leaves. Ferla or Giant Fennel lacks the unmistakable sweet aromatic odor of edible Fennel.

Scientific name: Ferula communis

Italian common name: Ferla, Ferula

English common name: Giant Fennel

Flowering Ash

At this time of year Flowering Ash is one of the showiest native trees at Gangivecchio. Frothy white clusters of tiny flowers are fragrant and lavishly ornamental displayed against bright green masses of young foliage. In Sicily, this winter deciduous tree is well known for the Manna sugar which is produced from incisions cut into the bark of the trunk and branches. Manna is still sold locally in small packets for use as a sweetener as well as for various folklore medicinal purposes.

Scientific name: Fraxinus ornus

Italian common name: Orniello, Frassino da manna

English common name: Flowering or Manna Ash

Honeywort

One of the eye-catching wildflower beauties now found in open, sunny locations at Gangivecchio is Honeywort. The nodding yellow and purple blooms of this hardy annual open in clusters at the tips of upright stems that recurve gracefully toward the ground. The effect is a bold stroke of form and color that enriches the fast growing spring flora of the countryside.

Scientific name: Cerinthe major

Italian common name: Erba vaiola, Succiamele

English common name: Honeywort