New Chorological Data for the Italian Vascular Flora

Abstract

Despite the importance for scientific and conservation purposes, the knowledge of the Italian territory is far from exhaustive. New chorological data for 87 vascular taxa regarding the central-southern part of Italy and its two main islands (Sicilia and Sardegna) are presented. Among these taxa, Epilobium nummularifolium, Metrosideros excelsa, and Salvinia minima are recorded as casual aliens for the first time in Europe (excluding Azores and Madeira for M. excelsa), while Cyclamen balearicum and Polygala rupestris are reported for the first time and confirmed for Italian native flora, respectively. Furthermore, several taxa are new or confirmed at regional level. Finally, Lathyrus cirrhosus, Urginea fugax, and Linum tenuifolium are excluded from Italy, continental and peninsular Italy, and Sardegna, respectively.

Trends in population size of Ophrys argolica subsp. biscutella in the Appennino Lucano-Val d'Agri-Lagonegrese National Park (Italy)

“…This is particularly true in Mediterranean regions, one of the recognised global hotspots of vascular plant diversity (Médail & Myers, 2004). It is therefore important that frequent monitoring campaigns of rare and threatened plant populations are undertaken, to enable early warning of decline in native species populations or to document a new arrival of invasive plants (Rosati et al, 2020).…”

Three New Alien Taxa for Europe and a Chorological Update on the Alien Vascular Flora of Calabria (Southern Italy)

“…In Italy, it is present as naturalized in Campania, Toscana, and Puglia and as a casual alien in Liguria, Piemonte, and Sardegna [1]. N. gracile was recently reported in Calabria by Rosati et al [52] as casual in Lazzaro (Reggio Calabria province). In several locations reported here in Specimina (and in particular in Lazzaro), this species has spread everywhere, especially along the edges of the streets.…”

“…According to Musarella et al [ 44 ], this is probably due to a lack of knowledge of vascular flora in the most anthropized areas. However, many contributions were later added to [ 1 ] and have increased the knowledge on the invasive alien flora in Calabria [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. A recent work estimates that Calabrian alien vascular flora amounts to 336 taxa [ 53 ].…”

Types and other historical specimens of Allan and Richard Cunningham's taxa of Epilobium and Fuchsia (Onagraceae) from New Zealand in the Turczaninow Herbarium at the National Herbarium of Ukraine (KW)

“…Their hybrids with other species were reported as well (Kitchener, McKean, 1998;Stace, 2010), which further complicated their identification. In the recent edition of the New Flora of the British Isles, Stace (2010: 361) Rosati et al, 2020) and E. melanocaulon Hook. found at the Ziller River, Mayrhofen, Austria (de Lange, unpubl.…”