Removing Ubuntu from iMac, can I delete the "EFI" partition?

Question

I booted from the Live CD and started GParted to delete the ubuntu partitions. I now have a bunch of free space and 2 Partitions: Macintosh HD, AND, a fat32 partition called EFI that takes up about 200 mb. Can I delete this? Is it just for bootcamp? Or is it a some secret partition that Disk Utility doesn't show, and bad things will happen if I delete it? I can always reinstall Mac OS X from a time machine backup, but please, someone who knows tell me if I can safely remove the EFI partition. Also, it has the "boot" flag. Thanks!

By the way, I am planning to reinstall ubuntu following this guide, using rEFIT and the Disk Utility, not bootcamp.

EDIT: I didn't delete it to stay on the safe side, but now when I hold down option it shows windows along with Mac OS X, and in rEFIT it shows linux. But in the Disk Utility it doesn't show the EFI partition. So should I delete it? Doesn't anyone know?

EDIT: I'm almost positive that the EFI partition is important for firmware updates or something and that it's not the cause of rEFIT detecting linux. But please, see my other question.

Answer 1

I'd recommend that you do not delete it. In EFI specification it is said that EFI can have a partition which it will be use to store drivers which will be used by EFI and OS (before it loads its own drivers) or simple programs which will execute inside EFI shell. I'm saying this from general EFI/UEFI point of view. It could happen that Apple doesn't use that partition for anything, but would you really want to risk that?

If you do delete it nothing unrepairable will happen. The worst thing would be that you will need to somehow restore it, but the process might prove to be very tricky.