Ornamental Vascular Plant Diversity in Basilicata (Southern Italy)

TL;DR

This study explores the diversity of ornamental plants in urban areas of Basilicata, Southern Italy, finding that most are non-native species.

Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive checklist of ornamental vascular plants in Basilicata, highlighting the dominance of non-native species.

Findings

A total of 281 ornamental vascular plant taxa were identified in Basilicata.

Alien taxa make up approximately 80% of the ornamental flora, with 21% being naturalized aliens.

Rosaceae, Oleaceae, and Asteraceae are the most represented plant families.

Abstract

This investigation focuses on urban ornamental greenery, a field of research that is still relatively unexplored in Italy but is becoming increasingly important both from a botanical point of view and in relation to sustainable land management and planning. A checklist of the ornamental vascular flora of Basilicata (Southern Italy) is reported here. A total of 281 taxa were recorded, including trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, and succulents cultivated in parks, gardens, and street trees. Such taxa (including 265 species s. str., 6 varieties, 5 subspecies, and 11 forms) belong to 201 genera, included in 94 families, among which the most represented are Rosaceae, Oleaceae, Asteraceae, Pinaceae, Cupressaceae, and Fabaceae. Phanerophytes represent the dominant growth form, and the chorological spectrum is composed mainly of Asian and American taxa. Taxa from subtropical and tropical biomes also showed a significant presence. This study highlighted the clear prevalence in the Basilicata ornamental flora of alien taxa (approximately 80%, of which 21% are naturalized aliens) compared to native ones, which is a phenomenon that is unfortunately widespread and observed worldwide.

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