DOI: 10.3897/italianbotanist.21.188515

Authors: Ernesto Venturi, Sandro Ballelli, Riccardo Pennesi, Samuel Victor Akosim, Andrea Catorci, Federico Maria Tardella

Abstract: This study aims to provide a checklist of the vascular flora of the Piani di Montelago (Marche, Italy), a wetland of high conservation interest, by integrating historical records with data collected in a dedicated survey, and assess the changes in the occurrence of taxa of conservation interest over the last few decades. The floristic list consists of 481 specific and subspecific taxa, belonging to 65 families and 263 genera. Two taxa are floristic novelties to Italy (Taraxacum subalpinum and T. porrigentilobatum group), and six are new to the Marche regional flora (Carex paniculata subsp. paniculata, Hypericum perfoliatum, Lophiolepis eriophora, Mentha arvensis, Taraxacum frisicum, and T. olivaceum). Twenty-one taxa are included in the IUCN Red List of the Italian Flora, six of which were not found in our survey. Among the taxa that were not found, 17 are typical of wetlands or are interesting from a conservation viewpoint. Most of these floristic losses can be traced back to the anthropogenic alterations that occurred in this wetland between the 1960s and 1970s.

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DOI: 10.3897/italianbotanist.19.144112

Authors: Lorenzo Pinzani

Abstract: A comprehensive checklist of vascular flora occurring in the lower Sieve Valley basin (province of Florence, Tuscany) is presented. Despite its economic and agricultural significance, this territory has been largely overlooked by botanists, resulting in a substantial gap in floristic information. The checklist is based on bibliographic analysis and field studies carried out between 2018 and 2024. A total of 1034 spontaneous taxa (species and subspecies), including 141 aliens, are reported for the territory. Of these, 21 taxa represent new records or confirmations for the province of Florence and 893 taxa are new to the lower Sieve Valley. Tilia americana L. and Sequoia sempervirens (D.Don) Endl. are newly reported for Tuscany and Populus × canadensis Moench nothosubsp. canadensis should be considered as a naturalized alien in the region. Life forms and chorotypes exhibit pronounced Eurosiberian affinities, with a significant contribution from Mediterranean plants. This pattern aligns with the temperate and continental climate of the area, which is partially influenced by summer aridity.

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DOI: 10.3897/italianbotanist.11.62040

Authors: Gianmaria Bonari, Tiberio Fiaschi, Emanuele Fanfarillo, Francesco Roma-Marzio, Simona Sarmati, Enrico Banfi, Marco Biagioli, Stefan Zerbe, Claudia Angiolini

Abstract: Wetlands are among the most fragile habitats on Earth and have often undergone major environmental changes. As a study case in this context, the present work aims at increasing the floristic knowledge of a reclaimed land now turned into an agricultural lowland with scarce patches of natural habitats. The study area is named Piana di Rosia, and it is located in southern Tuscany (Italy). The compiled checklist consists of 451 specific and subspecific taxa of vascular plants. The life-form spectrum shows a predominance of hemicryptophytes, followed by therophytes. The chorological spectrum highlights a co-dominance of Euri-Mediterranean and Eurasian species along with many widely distributed species. The checklist includes seven species of conservation concern, three Italian endemics (Crocus etruscus Parl., Polygala vulgaris L. subsp. valdarnensis (Fiori) Arrigoni, and Scabiosa uniseta Savi), 41 alien species, 21 segetal species, and 11 aquatic macrophytes of which five helophytes and six hydrophytes. This study suggests that irreversible land-use changes in wetlands can lead towards a simplification of the flora. However, despite the deep transformations that the former wetland has undergone, the presence of some aquatic and protected taxa is interesting. From a conservation point of view, the natural value of this agricultural area could be enhanced and its current management partly reconsidered, thus preserving the remnants of naturalness present.

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