Fungus Rock

Fungus Rock, maltese also Il- flowered tal -general or Ħaġret il -general ( German " rock of General " ), a small island of Gozo ( Malta ) is in the west upstream, the Dwejra Bay partially final island in the form of a large, about 65 m high limestone block. It is uninhabited and is part of the municipality of San Lawrenz.

The Maltese name goes back to a squadron leader of the Order of Malta, discovered on the island of the force at that time as a medicinal plant Maltese sponge ( cynomorium coccineum ). Since the chlorophyll, parasitic living plant was initially viewed as a mushroom, the island came to her English name " Fungus Rock " ( fungus is fungus). Fungus Rock, the only occurrence of Malta is home to the rare plant ( the next still occurs in some other locations in the Mediterranean ).

For ease of transport of the Maltese sponge was Grand Master Pinto a kind of cable car over the 50 m wide water line build. The Order of Malta put the plant among others for hemostasis and extracts sold as an aphrodisiac to European royal houses. The removal of the Maltese sponge by third parties was strictly forbidden and in the 17th century originally to protect against Turkish pirates erected watchtower in the Dwejra Bay was rededicated in the 18th century to the appropriate monitoring of the island.

In 1992 the island was declared a nature reserve and may be ascended only for teaching or scientific purposes. In the immediate vicinity are the famous tourist attractions such as Azure Window, Blue Hole and Inland Sea.