Upper Rock Flora
The Upper Rock hosts some 363 species of flora, a few of which are only found in Gibraltar and the Strait region.
One of the most attractive of these plants is the Gibraltar Candytuft; its pretty pink and lilac flowers colour the cliffs and ledges of the Nature Reserve in spring. Other plants you may come across are the Gibraltar Chickweed often found alongside the Gibraltar Saxifrage hugging the sides of cliffs and walls with their tiny white flowers.
Perhaps the scent of the aromatic Gibraltar Thyme will grace your walks, or if you are truly lucky you may stumble across the rare Gibraltar Campion – once thought extinct, but rediscovered in 1994, it’s white and pink flowers emitting sweet scents in the evening.
Mediterranean shrub in the reserve is influenced by the alkaline soil of the limestone rock.
Bask in the variety of floral aromas and find respite under the low hanging branches of Wild Olive trees, or greet a plethora of colourful flowering plants amidst the Nature Reserve’s firebreaks like the Paper-white Narcissus or the Giant Tangier Fennel.
Mwamba wa Juu una aina 363 za mimea, ambayo ni chache tu zinazopatikana katika Gibraltar na eneo la Strait. Mti wa Gibraltar Candytuft ni mojawapo ya mimea yenye kuvutia zaidi; maua yake maridadi ya rangi ya waridi na ya rangi ya zambarau huvutia miamba na miamba ya Hifadhi ya Asili katika majira ya kuchipua. Mimea mingine ambayo unaweza kukutana nayo ni Gibraltar Chickweed ambayo mara nyingi hupatikana kando ya Gibraltar Saxifrage inayokumbatia pande za miamba na kuta na maua yao madogo meupe. Labda harufu ya Gibraltar Thyme itakufurahisha kutembea, au ikiwa una bahati kweli unaweza kukumbana na Gibraltar Campion, ambayo wakati mmoja ilidhaniwa kuwa imepotea, lakini iligunduliwa tena mnamo 1994, maua yake meupe na ya waridi yanatoa harufu tamu jioni. Mti wa Mediterania katika hifadhi hiyo unaathiriwa na udongo wa alkali wa mwamba wa chokaa. Kupumzika katika aina mbalimbali ya harufu ya maua na kupata mapumziko chini ya matawi ya chini ya miti ya mizeituni ya mwituni, au salamu wingi wa rangi ya maua mimea katikati ya Firebreaks Hifadhi ya Asili kama Narcissus karatasi nyeupe au Giant Tangier Fennel.