Flora d'Italia

Abstract

This second edition of the Flora of Italy, complemented by the Digital Flora of Italy, summarizes the results of the botanical exploration in Italy during the last two hundred years. Italy is not only a beautiful country of extraordinary landscapes, rich environments, valleys and mountains along the whole Apennine Peninsula, in its centre the Eternal City and from north to south filled with many towns with incomparable art treasures. Placed in the mid of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy has also an astoundingly rich flora spreading from the shores to the highest mountains, with floristic environmental hotspots in the Alps (Dolomites, Mt. Baldo, Maritime Alps), along the Tyrrhenian coast, and on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. Scientists and naturalists from Italy and many European countries have been attracted over the last 200 years by Italy’s flora and contributed to understand its richness. In this second edition, more than 7700 species recognized as belonging to the Italian flora are reported, described in detail, each with drawings, photos and geographic range.