The Vascular Flora of Nature Reserve "Pizzo Cane, Pizzo Trigna and Grotta Mazzamuto" (NW Sicily)

Abstract

A floristic investigation was carried out in “Pizzo Cane, Pizzo Trigna and Grotta Mazzamuto” Nature Reserve, one of the largest in Sicily. In spite of the considerable botanical interest of this area, few data were available from classic and recent literature. Based on field investigations, coupled with bibliographic and herbarium researches, we have listed 951 infrageneric taxa belonging to 103 families and 446 genera. A lot of these entities are reported in this area for the first time, for others ancient records are confirmed. Life form analysis shows the dominance of therophytes (44,79%) and hemicryptophytes (27,77%). From a chorological point of view, Mediterranean elements show a great incidence (72,12%). Endemism, at different levels, is represented by 59 taxa (6,20% of the local flora); some of these are exclusive of northwestern Sicily (Centaurea ucriae, Centaurea umbrosa and Oncostema cerulea), others are endemic to whole Sicily (Erysimum metlesicsii, Helichrysum pendulum, Eryngium bocconii, Leontodon siculus, Ophrys panormitana, Ophrys lunulata, etc.) or to central Mediterranean area, i.e. Sardinia, Italian Peninsula, Maltese Islands, Tunisia (Euphorbia amygdaloides subsp. arbuscula, Orchis brancifortii, Arabis rosea, Brassica rupestris, Matthiola incana subsp. rupestris, Dianthus rupicola, Iberis semperflorens, Ophrys oxyrrhynchos, Stipa austroitalica subsp. appendiculata). Some other species are interesting from a phytogeographical and conservational point of view, e.g. Eryngium pusillum, Ilex aquifolium, Potamogeton pusillum, Rhaponticum coniferum, Sorbus torminalis, Trifolium physodes, Vicia sicula, etc. Furthermore, this area represents the unic sicilian site of Hornungia pauciflora. The high floristic biodiversity of the area is threatened by fire events, reafforestation with allochthonous species and other human activities suggesting the urgent need of a more effective policy of sustainable management.