Maquis or Makkja in Maltese is the terrestrial habitat following the garigue. It is characterised by an evergreen shrub community, with shrubs reaching a height ranging from one to three metres. Among the trees found in local maquis there are the carob (Scientific: Ceratonia siliqua; Maltese: Ħarruba), the olive (Scientific: Olea europaea; Maltese: Żebbuġa), the lentisk (Scientific: Pistacia lentiscus; Maltese: Deru), and the wild fig (Scientific: Ficus carica; Maltese: Siġra tat-tin).
In our visits to Buleben il-Kbir we have found a substantial amount of patches of maquis surrounded by cultivated agricultural land. In most cases these patches occurred in rocky outcrops with less soil cover. The trees found include carob, olive and fig.
Here are some photographs showing these habitats at Buleben.
Wirt iż-Żejtun 