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ambientale, sapienza università di roma, roma, italy; f Dipartimento di scienze e tecnologie Biologiche ed ambientali, università del salento, lecce, italy; g istituto Beni culturali, regione emilia-romagna, Bologna, italy; h centro conservazione Biodiversità (ccB), Dipartimento di scienze della Vita e dell'ambiente (DisVa), università di cagliari, cagliari, italy; i scuola di Bioscienze e medicina Veterinaria, università di camerino, macerata, italy; j Dipartimento di scienze della Vita, università di modena e reggio emilia, modena, italy; k Dipartimento di scienze della terra, dell'ambiente e della Vita (DistaV), università di genova, genova, italy; l Dipartimento di Biologia, ecologia, e scienze della terra (DiBest), università della calabria, cosenza, italy; m Dipartimento di scienze della Vita e Biologia dei sistemi (DBios), università di torino, torino, italy; n comitato scientifico, museo regionale di scienze naturali efisio noussan, aosta, italy; o sezione di Botanica filippo Parlatore, museo di storia naturale, università di firenze, firenze, italy; p Dipartimento di Biologia, università di napoli federico ii, napoli, italy; q Dipartimento di scienze agrarie, alimentari e forestali, università di Palermo, Palermo, italy; r scuola di scienze agrarie, forestali, alimentari ed ambientali, università della Basilicata, Potenza, italy; s strada Val san martino superiore, torino, italy; t centro ricerche floristiche marche, Pesaro, italy; u Dipartimento di Pianificazione, Design, tecnologia dell'architettura (PDta), sapienza università di roma, roma, italy; v Department of Botany, national museum of natural history, smithsonian institution, washington, Dc, usa; w Via isonzo, massa, italy; x Dipartimento di scienze della terra, università di torino, torino, italy; y Via regazzoni Bassa, Padova, italy; z museo di storia naturale della calabria ed orto Botanico, università della calabria, cosenza, italy; aa Dipartimento di scienze della Vita, università di trieste, trieste, italy; ab fondazione museo civico di rovereto, trento, italy; ac sezione di Botanica ed ecologia Vegetale, Dipartimento di scienze e tecnologie Biologiche, chimiche e farmaceutiche (steBicef), università di Palermo, Palermo, italy; ad Dipartimento di scienze agrarie e forestali (Dafne), università della tuscia, Viterbo, italy; ae Via europa unita, schio, italy; af istituto per le Piante da legno e l'ambiente (iPla), torino, italy; ag laboratori di Botanica, Dipartimento di scienze delle Produzioni agroalimentari e dell'ambiente, università di firenze, firenze, italy; ah largo Brigata cagliari, Vercelli, italy; ai Dipartimento di scienze e tecnologie ambientali, Biologiche e farmaceutiche, università della campania luigi Vanvitelli, caserta, italy;

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For the purpose of the present study we considered as Italian endemics those specific and subspecific taxa occurring in Italy that are not found elsewhere with the exception of Corsica (France) and Malta. This study presents an updated list of the endemic taxa in the Italian flora, including their geographical distribution at regional level. Italy is characterized by 1371 endemic species and subspecies (18.9% of the total vascular flora): three taxa belong to Lycopodiidae, one to Polypodiidae, two to Pinidae and 1365 to Magnoliidae (three paleoherbs, 221 monocots and 1144 eudicots). The endemic flora belongs to 29 orders, 67 families and 304 genera. Sicily, Sardinia, Calabria and Abruzzo are the four regions richest in endemics. About 58% of endemics are confined to a single administrative region. The most represented orders, families and genera are: Asterales, Caryophyllales and Asparagales, Asteraceae, Plumbaginaceae and Caryophyllaceae, Limonium, Centaurea and Hieracium, respectively. The phytogeographic isolation of Sardinia and Sicily and the separation of peninsular Italy from Northern Italy is confirmed. The relative isolation of Puglia with respect the remaining southern Italian pensinsular regions is also confirmed. Alpine region endemics (from northern Italy) are underrepresented.

The census of the loci classici of 1,400 Italian endemic vascular plants (i.e. not thriving elsewhere with the exception of Corsica and Malta) is here presented and described. The effective place of publication of accepted names, basionyms and homotypic synonyms were identified and critically verified. This often resulted in some change in authorship attribution and, in seven cases, in validation problems (Asperula cynanchica var. lactea var. nov., A. lactea comb. nov., Biscutella laevigata subsp. raffaelliana subsp. nov., Ferulago nodosa subsp. geniculata comb. & stat. nov., Limonium tineoi comb. nov., L. usticanum sp. nov., Noccaea torreana comb. nov.). The geographic information on the loci classici was excerpted from the protologues, as well as information on typification for the taxa described before 1 January 1958. The names without holotype are 796. For 347 names a lecto- or neo-typification is available in literature, while 449 currently accepted taxa still need of type designation.

Italy has a rich natural heritage, which is dangerously under pressure. In recent years, there is an increased awareness of the crucial role of plants in ecosystem functioning and in providing ecosystem services. Consequently, an updated Red List of the Italian vascular flora was compiled in this work, at the request of the Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea Protection, with the scientific support of the Italian Botanical Society. The IUCN Red List criteria were applied to 2,430 Italian native vascular plant taxa to assess their current extinction risk and to highlight the major threats affecting the Italian flora. Our results revealed that 54 taxa (2.2% of the assessed taxa) are extinct or possibly extinct at regional level, while 590 taxa (24.3%) were assigned to a risk category. Moreover, 404 taxa (16.6%) were categorized as Data Deficient. The Italian vascular flora is primarily threatened by habitat modifications due to anthropic disturbance and, especially, to agriculture, tourism and residential development. Coastal areas and lowlands, where anthropogenic impacts and ecosystem destruction are more pronounced, host the greatest number of extinct or declining taxa. Our results represent an important baseline to establish conservation priorities, legislative choices and intervention strategies on a national scale.

The conservation of species listed in the Bern Convention and European Directive 1992/43/EEC (so-called policy species) is mandatory for European Union (EU) countries. We assessed the conservation status of Italian policy species, based on the IUCN categories and criteria, to evaluate the effectiveness of existing protection measures at the national level. Among the 203 vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens evaluated, 41.9% are categorized as threatened, and one is already extinct, indicating that the protection measures for policy species are inadequate. Our results for the Italian policy species are consistent with those of an assessment at the EU level. Conservation priorities should be established at both the national and regional scales. An effective conservation strategy is needed, and in situ and ex situ actions focused on threatened species should be promoted

The Majella National Park is located in Abruzzo region (Central Italy) and covers an area of 740 Km2. An updated checklist of the vascular plants growing in the park is here presented on the basis of extensive field surveys carried out from 1982 to 2018, analysis of relevant literature and review of herbarium specimens kept in APP, FI, NAP, RO, and Herb. Magellense. The park’s flora amounts to 2,286 specific and subspecific taxa (including 11 hybrids), belonging to 118 families and 694 genera. According to our results, 201 taxa are endemic to Italy; 136 taxa are reported for the first time in the park, of which two taxa are new for Abruzzo region; 73 taxa have not been confirmed in recent times and 42 are doubtfully occurring taxa. The Park represents the southern or northern border of their Italian distribution of 137 taxa. Moreover, Poa ligulata is confirmed for the flora of Italy. The non-native flora amounts to 110 taxa. The number of taxa recorded in the Majella National Park is one of the highest in a protected area within the Mediterranean Basin.