The vascular flora of the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park (Northern Apennines, Italy): updating the checklist
Authors:   University of Florence, Viciani Daniele , Alberti Davide ,   Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna
Published: November 2024

Plant species inventories are crucial for botanical research and plant conservation, as they provide fundamental data regarding the measurement and distribution of biodiversity. To be effective, floristic lists must be prepared and continuously updated at global and local level. For these reasons, this study was aimed to update and discuss the vascular plant list of the flora of the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falrerona, Campigna National Park, an important Italian Protected Area located in the Northern Apennines (Italy). We implemented the existing checklist published in 2010 (with data updated to 2008) by analysing both published and unpublished data up to 31.12.2023. We also carried out some museum checks on exiccata in the Central Italic Herbarium of Florence and in other herbaria. The study was also aimed to verify whether the updated native and alien floristic richness of the area resulted to be higher or lower than expected. In total, the number of species recorded are 1415. Of these, 1172 species from 100 families are considered native confirmed by data obtained after 1960, while others can be distinguished as non-native to the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falrerona, Campigna National Park territory (mostly cultivated), doubtful, or in some cases excluded. There was an increase of 58 species compared to 2010, of which 45 are native. According to the best performing species-area formula with respect to vascular plant species, in the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falrerona, Campigna National Park the native floristic richness resulted to be a little higher than expected (1172 against 1159). At the same time, the alien floristic richness (naturalised and invasive species, as no casuals were detected) resulted to be much lower than expected (24 against 109), reinforcing the already well-known great conservation value of this area. The extent of the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falrerona, Campigna National Park’s phytodiversity is confirmed to be very high. This is caused by the fact that this territory hosts forest ecosystems of great value, considered among those best preserved at European level, and has a geographical position that makes it a connection between two very differentiated floristic contingents, one coming from the north (Alps, Northern Apennines) and the other from the south (Italian Peninsula, Central and Southern Apennines). The updated characteristics of the chorology shows in fact that various plants in Italy have their southern or northern distribution limit here. However, the Italian endemism that characterises the flora is essentially north-Apennine and peninsular (3.1%), while the most consistent chorotype, in percentage terms, is the European sensu lato (> 25.5%). The life-form spectrum, the presence of rare, conservation-interest, doubtful and alien species are also updated and discussed. The characteristics of all the confirmed flora and of the flora of conservation interest with respect to the various habitats are outlined. The updated checklist provides the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park with an essential database to manage this territory, and quite precisely quantified the plant diversity present here. Moreover, it has highlighted the lacunae in floristic knowledge, towards which future research should be directed, giving information about rare plants, species not reported after 1960, and taxa, which need to be studied taxonomically more in depth, since the flora varies over time and the checklists, like any other information tool, must be implemented and continuously improved.