Article

The vascular flora of Conero Regional Nature Park (Marche, Central Italy)

Authors:
Biondi E.
,
Gubellini L.
,
Pinzi L.
,
Casavecchia S.
Publication: Flora Mediterranea
Pages: 67-167
Article history:
  1. Published online

Abstract

It is presented the vascular flora of Conero Regional Park. The paper starts with a brief presentation of the park territory (geography, geomorphology and bioclimate) that arises in the central Adriatic side of the Italian peninsula. The vegetation is briefly described thanks to the detailed phytosociological analysis carried out in the territory and to detailed maps on different scales. The description of vegetation allows indicating, for most of the species listed, their participation in the plant communities present in the area. The floristic list comprises 1169 entities, of specific and sub specific levels, that belong to 101 families and 507 genera. It also includes 64 species currently disappeared or not recently found in the study area, indicated by NP acronym (not present). The life form spectrum of the flora highlines the prevalence of terophytes (37.8%) and hemicryptophytes (31.10%). These are followed by geophytes (11.9%) and phanerophytes (10.6%). The chorological spectrum highlines the prevalence of Mediterranenan species among which the Eurimediterranean are very frequent (26%) but also the Stenomediterraneans form a considerable contingent (13% ), confirming that the area is on the northern limit of diffusion of Mediterranenan macrobioclime in the Italian Adriatic side. The total value of Euroasiatic species is very high (29%) and they are linked to the paleogeographyc history of Italian peninsula flora. Moreover, the presence of a large number of species having a wide diffusion is significant (12%) because they testify the high anthropization of Park areas where there are towns, touristic structures and large cultivated zones. The elevate presence of non-native species (9,5%) is linked to this condition of strong anthropization even if they are represented by a percentage value that is lower than in the rest of Marche (12,57%) and of Italy (13,4%). In the territory of the Park, Natura 2000 network includes three Sites of Community Importance (SCI) and one Special Protected Area (SPA); overall 18 habitats of Community interest have been recognized, 7 of which are “priority”. The only species indicated in Annex II of Habitats Directive and present in Conero Park is Himantoglossum adriaticum that currently is known only in one locality for Conero Park while as regards Annex V, the only species included is Ruscus aculeatus, common in the forests of the area. Finally, a survey of the threatened species having a high extinction risk at the regional level, mainly because of the transformations of habitats such as psammophilous and hygrophilous species, is carried out.