Dried Flowers
Over the past months we have been busy trying to refurbish the school’s library. We are nearly there, with all the books ready to go to the School’s Library Services for cataloguing.
However, this is not about the books but rather about a strange looking piece of furniture with a Latin inscription that we found in the library. The inscription was easy enough to decipher “Flora Melitensis” – Maltese Flowers.
What was even more interesting was what was inside. The various “trays” open to reveal a collection of dried Maltese plants.
A chance encounter and conversation made this discovery even more significant. Mr Arnold Sciberras happened to be at school installing some pigeon spikes. Mr Sciberras graduated in agribusiness and he dedicates his free time to the the study and conservation of local wildlife. He is an entomologist (someone who studies insects) and the only local herpetologist (someone who studies amphibians) on the island. We started chatting about this and that, and I happened to mention this collection of dried flowers. Mr Sciberras immediately took an interest to it. He promised he would come to school and help us restore this piece of history.
Sure enough, he did. After some quick research, we can safely date the collection to the early 1950s. The cabinet was probably made at school, and within the collection, there are a number of photos showing the cabinet in the making. Unfortunately, we have not managed to find out who actually made the cabinet or was responsible for collecting the plants, but we are hoping that someone might know something more about it.
The collection boasts over 150 species of plants, a few of which are either endemic or extinct from the Maltese islands. So far, about 70 plants have been identified. At the moment, Mr Sciberras and his brother are restoring the collection. The trays are being dry freezed to eliminate any pests. When possible, plants that have gone missing will be replaced and eventually, we are hoping that this cabinet will have pride of place in our newly refurbished school library. Charlot Cassar Head of School
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