The Maltese Islands are host to over 1000 species of wild flowering plants. Of these, over 800 are native, the rest being introduced, intentionally or accidentally, as a result of human intervention and running wild. This book illustrates nearly 300 of these species and describes many others. Users should be able to identify a significant number of plants they meet.

Malta, has been visited and influenced over the centuries by many different peoples and cultures. The site of the oldest free-standing, man-made structures known to exist, Malta has been occupied by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Arabs, Normans, the Knights of St. John, Swabians, Angevins, French, and British. Most recently, Malta has elected a new government replacing one that had been in office for many years, major improvements in infrastructure, a significant growth in population, the liberalization of laws permitting divorce and same-sex marriage. This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Malta contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Malta.

Irises and their relatives are lily-like plants related to the orchid and narcissus families, with whom they share a propensity for large, brightly colored, attractive flowers. Many have longlasting flowersÑIris, Gladiolus, and Freesia are among the most important cut-flower crops in the world. The intricate flowers of the iris family are finely adapted for pollination by a variety of animals, including hummingbirds, sunbirds, beetles, butterflies, moths, wasps, and bees. This intimate connection between flower form and pollination biology reveals how the marvelous range of flower colors, shapes, and scents are vital to the lives of the species. The diversity of Iridaceae is illustrated in more than 200 superb photographs supplemented by expert line drawings. A lifetime of work by the world's expert on Iridaceae is distilled in this definitive account. Botanists, ecologists, naturalists, and gardeners will find this an essential reference.