The unresolved mystery of Jabuka island

Jabuka island (Photo: Fbundalo/CC BY 2.5)

Jabuka, a captivating rocky uninhabited volcanic island located west of the island of Vis, was once a rich fishing ground, known for its rocky reefs and lack of anchorage.

It was a place only for the bravest.

The island is made up of igneous magnetite rocks, which create magnetic disturbances that can interfere with compass readings. Because of its high iron content, Jabuka is often hit by lightning

Geomorphologically, it is inaccessible, with no beaches at all. There is just one spot where one can jump ashore from a boat due to its unique configuration.

Theoretically, it is possible to climb to the island’s summit, but it is not recommended for anyone as it is truly dangerous, Tvrtko Korbar, a scientific advisor at the Croatian Geological Institute, told HRT.

Many incredible and mysterious stories are associated with Jabuka Island.

One such tale is about the Jabuka Carnation, a great botanical mystery that dates back to the last century.

The Jabuka Carnation was discovered thanks to the mayor of Hvar, Ivan Antun Botteri, who provided a herbarium specimen to botanist, Roberto Visiani, who was working in Padua at the time.

Visiani recognised that it was something very specific and described it as Dianthus multinervis—the Jabuka Carnation.

However, as early as the 1900s, botanists who travelled to Jabuka to collect and document the carnation were unable to find it anywhere—not even a trace of it.

Jabuka in the distance on the right of Svetac island (Photo: Sl-Ziga/Public domain)

There are two herbarium specimens of this carnation. One is stored in Padua, and the other is in the herbarium collection of the Faculty of Science in Zagreb.

Whether it still exists there remains unknown—perhaps it survives on some inaccessible cliffs. This is the great mystery surrounding this carnation, which remains unsolved to this day, explained Professor Sandro Bogdanović of the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb.

Jabuka island (Photo: Fbundalo/CC BY 2.5)

The story of the Jabuka Carnation is also intertwined with the tale of fishermen from Komiža and their fishing activities on the offshore islands.

“It’s interesting that young men would pick this carnation when they visited the island and bring it to their sweethearts as a token of love, despite being forbidden to do so by their employers and the captains of their fishing boats.

Carnations

In fishing circles, it was believed that when the carnation disappeared from Jabuka, so would the fishing trade of Komiža. From this perspective, it seems that is exactly what happened,” Darko Zanki told HRT.

Jabuka, along with Vis, Sveti Andrija, Kamnik, Brusnik, Biševo, and the Palagruža archipelago, is also part of the Croatian Offshore Islands Important Bird Area (IBA). BirdLife International designated this area due to its important breeding colonies of Scopoli’s and Yelkouan shearwaters, as well as Eleonora’s falcons.