Article

The history of the floristic exploration of Sardinia mainly centres round the works of G.G. Moris, who in the first half of the XIX century described most of the floristic patrimony of the island. But it is important to know the steps he took in his census, the areas he explored, his publications, motivations and conditions under which he wrote the "Stirpium sardoarum elenchus" and the three volumes of "Flora sardoa", a work moreover which he left incomplete. Merit is due to Moris for bringing the attention of many collectors, florists and taxonomists to the Flora of the Island, individuals who in his foot-steps helped to complete and update the floristic inventory of the island. Research into the history of our knowledge of the Sardinian Flora relies heavily on the analysis of botanical publications, but many other sources (nonbotanical texts, chronicles of the period, correspondence) also furnish important information. Finally, the names, dates and collection localities indicated on the specimens preserved in the most important herbaria were fundamental in reconstructing the itineraries of the sites Moris visited. All these sources allowed us to clarify several aspects of the expeditions, floristic collections and results of his studies. The "discovery phase" of Sardinian Flora can be considered over by the end of the XIX century with the publication of the "Compendium" by Barbey (1884-1885) and "Flora d'Italia" by Fiori & Paoletti (1896-1908).