Article

The Tuscan Archipelago, with its seven main islands, is one of the most interesting areas in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea from the naturalistic point ofview. Botanical studies ofthis area began in the XIX century; in particular, the intensive floristic work of Sommier pointed out the high floristic diversity ofthe Archipelago. The level of insularity varies from island to island, especially in relation to the paleogeographic history of the region as a whole. The past and present role played by human activity in this area of study has influenced floristic and vegetational dynamics, so this aspect is one of the most important fields of interest. A revision of the flora of each island proved necessary for the purpose of conservation, especially after the consti tution of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago in 1996. Our floristic researches are based on field investigations and on the revision of originai collections housed in FI, plus all the ava ilab le bibliography. The floristic diversity for each island is reported in relation to morphological, ecological and chorological aspects. In particular, the floristic relationships with the CorsoSardinian sector and the Tuscan mainland area are examined, together with the role of endemics. This study is only the first part of a study on botanical aspects of the Tuscan Archipelago, currently in progress at the University of Florence.