{"id":8108,"date":"2021-07-05T09:41:50","date_gmt":"2021-07-05T09:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/parco-maremma.it\/discover-the-park\/flora\/"},"modified":"2021-07-05T11:03:22","modified_gmt":"2021-07-05T11:03:22","slug":"flora","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parco-maremma.it\/en\/discover-the-park\/flora\/","title":{"rendered":"Flora"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The vegetation of the wood is mainly characterised by\u00a0holm oaks<\/strong>\u00a0(Quercus ilex<\/em>), which can be up to twelve metres high, and which cover the western sides along with\u00a0Phillyrea latifolia<\/em>,\u00a0strawberry trees<\/strong>\u00a0(Arbutus unedo<\/em>),\u00a0lentiscus<\/strong>\u00a0(Viburnum lentiscus<\/em>) and\u00a0Viburnum tinus\u00a0<\/em>on calcareous soil. Silicious soil is instead covered with\u00a0heather<\/strong>\u00a0(Erica arborea<\/em>), and\u00a0cork oak\u00a0<\/strong>(Quercus suber<\/em>). \nThe eastern and northern sides are covered with\u00a0holm oaks<\/strong>,\u00a0Quercus pubescens<\/em>,\u00a0Fraxinus ornus<\/em>,\u00a0Sorbus domestica<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Sorbus terminalis<\/em>,\u00a0thorn trees<\/strong>\u00a0(Crataegus monogyna<\/em>),\u00a0ivy<\/strong>\u00a0(Hedera helix<\/em>), and\u00a0Clematis vitalba<\/em>. \nThe humid and shadowed soil of the under wood are rich in\u00a0cyclamens\u00a0<\/strong>(Cyclamen hederifolium<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Cyclamen repandum<\/em>),\u00a0wild asparagus<\/strong>\u00a0(Asparagus acutifolius<\/em>), and\u00a0liane<\/strong>\u00a0(Smilax aspera<\/em>). \nLimited is the presence of\u00a0laurel<\/strong>\u00a0(Laurus nobilis<\/em>),\u00a0Ostrya carpinifolia<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Quercus cerris<\/em>. Quite common almost every where is the presence of\u00a0maple<\/strong>\u00a0(Acer monspessulanus<\/em>). Rare and located only on the rocky cliffs is\u00a0Pistacia terebinthus<\/em>. \nOn the eastern side of the\u00a0Uccellina Mountains<\/strong>, where the conditions are more favourable for the reconstruction of the wood, in areas where the maquis is very limited, there is\u00a0myrtle<\/strong>,\u00a0lentiscus<\/strong>,\u00a0heather<\/strong>,\u00a0strawberry tree<\/strong>,\u00a0lavender<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0broom<\/strong>. \nThe maquis on the western side, which is more barren and drier, is covered with a mixture of\u00a0holm oaks<\/strong>,\u00a0lentiscus,<\/strong>liane\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0heather<\/strong>. \nIn the under wood there is\u00a0daphne<\/strong>, and\u00a0butcher\u2019s broom<\/strong>. \nIn the rocky areas the maquis has developed according to the conditions of the soil: the type of vegetation that the tourist can find here is resistant to the dry weather such as\u00a0arboreal euphoria,<\/strong>\u00a0the exceptionally rare\u00a0dwarf palm tree<\/strong>, and\u00a0maritime savin<\/strong>. \nThe vegetation on the Uccellina hills is characterised by\u00a0rosemary<\/strong>,\u00a0pink heather<\/strong>, and\u00a0lentiscus<\/strong>. In spring time, many varieties of\u00a0wild orchids<\/strong>\u00a0blossom in the scrub land contrasting with red earth. \nBoth the scrub land and the abandoned olive groves move spontaneously towards the maquis and this causes the progressive growth of thicker and thicker shrubs.<\/p>\n\n

The sandy shores of the coast do not represent the ideal habitat for the majority of the plants due to the high level of permeability, inconsistency of the substrate and high\u00a0concentration of salt<\/strong>. There are, however, types of plants and shrubs able to adapt to environments so high in saltiness and therefore able to use the remains of organic products transported to the beaches by the sea. \nThis type of vegetation is called \u201cpsammofila\u201d, which means that it loves sandy grounds. \nCakile maritimum<\/em>,\u00a0Xanthium italicum<\/em>,\u00a0Euphorbia peplis<\/em>,\u00a0Salsola soda<\/em>,\u00a0Sporobulus pungens<\/em>, are all types of psammofile and represent the first forms of pioneer vegetation. They are normally near the sea, where the sand is not touched by the waves. Inside the Park there are types of vegetation such as\u00a0Calystella soldanella<\/em>,\u00a0Euphorbia paralis<\/em>,\u00a0Echinophora spinosa<\/em>,\u00a0Eryngium maritimum<\/em>; they are all provided with radical apparatus which allow them to consolidate the sandy substrate which eventually will create a\u00a0dune<\/strong>. \nOn the tops of the dunes it is possible to find\u00a0Ammophila arenaria<\/em>\u00a0which, along with\u00a0Anthemis maritimum<\/em>,\u00a0Pancratium maritimum<\/em>,\u00a0Otanthus maritimus<\/em>,\u00a0Medicago marina<\/em>\u00a0and other types of vegetation typical of the coast. They form the so called\u00a0psammofila prairie<\/strong>\u00a0of the dunes. \nNext to the dunes there are also species which belong to more evolved environments. They create the so called\u00a0prairie beyond the dunes<\/strong>. \nThe\u00a0junipers<\/strong>\u00a0represent the transition area which from the psammofile introduce to the vegetation of the maquis.<\/p>\n\n

In the first depressions beyond the dunes, with salty waters, it is possible to find a type of vegetation characterised by a variety of\u00a0grass and palustrine low shrubs<\/strong>, such as\u00a0Artemisia coerulescens<\/em>,\u00a0Carex extensa<\/em>,\u00a0Juncus maritimus<\/em>,\u00a0Schoenus maritimus<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Schoenus nigricans<\/em>. In the marshes it is possible to see\u00a0Arthrocmum macrostachyum,<\/em>Etriplex portulacoides<\/em>,\u00a0Limonium angustifolium<\/em>\u00a0and the rare\u00a0Halocnemum strobilaceum<\/em>. In the area which are seasonally flooded and in areas which were once swampy there are\u00a0rushes and reeds<\/strong>. When the seasonal submersion is longer than usual other species appear, such as\u00a0Claudium mariscus<\/em>,\u00a0Lynthrum salicaria<\/em>,\u00a0Arundo donax<\/em>,\u00a0Juncus acutus<\/em>,\u00a0Elymus pycnanthus<\/em>. \nInside\u00a0Trappola Marsh<\/strong>, on ancient edges subjected to seasonal submersion, the colonizing types of the dune are rather rare and often substituted by an arboreal covering which can be up to fifteen metres high, as it is mainly characterised by\u00a0elms<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0ash trees<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n