Sandro Ballelli

The vascular flora of the “Altipiani di Colfiorito” (Umbria-Marches Apennines, Central Italy)

Summary The Altipiani di Colfiorito are a system of seven tectonic depressions with karstic phenomena, located in the Umbria-Marches Apennine ridge (Italy). This area is characterized by the presence of wetlands which have been internationally protected through the institution of a Ramsar Site, an Important Bird Area, three Sites of Community Importance and a Special Protection Area. The analysis of bibliographic and herbarium data and the floristic field research carried out from 1999 to 2008, allowed to list 657 floristic units, belonging to 88 families and 320 genera. Among them, 11 (Avena sativa subsp. macrantha, A. sterilis subsp. ludoviciana, Chenopodium hybridum, Cuscuta campestris, Mentha arvensis, Rosa andegavensis, R. dumalis, Schedonorus uechtritzianus, Scrophularia umbrosa, Trifolium alexandrinum and Veronica catenata) are new for the Umbrian flora and 2 (Crypsis alopecuroides and Schedonorus uechtritzianus) for the Marchean flora. Numerous rare and threatened species in Umbrian and Marchean flora, such as Alopecurus bulbosus, Carex tomentosa, Equisetum fluviatile, Juncus hybridus, Nymphaea alba, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Ranunculus flammula, R. ophioglossifolius, Trifolium patens and Utricularia australis, have been found. Nevertheless some species, previously recorded for Palude di Colfiorito, such as Eriophorum latifolium, Hippuris vulgaris, Hydrocotyle vulgaris, Menyanthes trifoliata, Potamogeton lucens, P. trichoides, Ranunculus lingua and Triglochinpalustre, were not found and considered locally extinct.

European Grasslands Gradient and the Resilience to Extreme Climate Events: The SIGNAL Project in Italy

Extreme weather events, land use, and the presence of invasive species can act as pressures threatening biodiversity, resilience and ecosystem services. Particularly in the open cultural landscape, these pressures can suddenly drive ecosystems across tipping points and beyond thresholds of system integrity. Yet, biodiversity holds features for buffering against change. Potential stabilizing mechanisms include species richness, presence of key species such as legumes, and intraspecific diversity. These potential buffers can be promoted by conservation management and political decisions. On this basis, the results of the SIGNAL project and the related scientific based knowledge, will help to develop recommendations that could be used by International, national and local authorities, EU institutions, NGOs, for agriculture, landscape management and biodiversity conservation. Here we briefly describe the project and the Italian field experimental site.

New records for the Laga Mountains (Marche, Abruzzo, Lazio) and the central Apennines

This study includes 47 species collected between 1980 and 2012, most of them not previously reported for the Laga Mountains. These include a number of species that are rare or are of particular phytogeographical interest, with their presence hereby confirmed. In particular, the survey includes one new species for the central Apennines (Aconitum variegatum subsp. variegatum), seven for Marche (Alchemilla exigua, Alchemilla marsica, Alchemilla sinuata, Alchemilla undulata, Alchemilla versipila, Equisetum variegatum, Juncus articus), two for Abruzzo (Aconitum variegatum subsp. variegatum, Alchemilla incisa), and one for Lazio (Veronica alpina). The presence in the central Apennines of Oxytropis pilosa subsp. pilosa is also confirmed; although it has already been reported in several studies, it has been neglected in recent floras. In agreement with previous scientific contributions, the present study confirms the considerable biogeographical interest of the area due to the presence of species with an Arctic-Alpine distribution and/or of European orophytes, as well as species that are endemic to the mountain range of the Laga Mountains, which represents the southern limit of their distribution along the whole Apennine range.

Calystegia hederacea Wall. (Convolvulaceae), a random exotic species, new for Italy

We report for the first time for Italy and for the second time for Europe, the presence of Calystegia hederacea Wall., a random exotic species, in Pian Perduto of Gualdo (Sibillini Mountains, Central Apennines, Marche Region, Italy).