A floristic survey of the Tifatini and Trebulani Mountains, southern Italy

Within the framework of ongoing updates to the Italian flora, this paper presents the results of floristic research conducted on the Tifatini and Trebulani Mountains, two limestone hilly-mountain systems in southern Italy. The vascular flora of the study area is largely unknown, with most of the available data dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. Data were collected through field surveys carried out between 2015 and 2023, primarily during the scientific excursion of the Working Group for Floristics, Systematics and Evolution of the Italian Botanical Society held in 2017. An opportunistic approach was adopted for floristic sampling; it was performed on 22 sites considered to be representative of the local environmental diversity in terms of physiography, climate, soil, elevation, and land use. The research led to taxonomic identification of 3,987 herbarium specimens, 2,623 of which were collected on the Tifatini Mountains and 1,364 on the Trebulani Mountains. Overall, 706 species and subspecies (including five hybrids) belonging to 121 families were identified. The total floristic list included 18 endemic species to Italy, 42 alien species, three cryptogenic species for the administrative region of Campania, and 47 species included in the IUCN Red List of the Italian flora. In the Tifatini area 591, species have been identified (nine endemics, 40 aliens, three cryptogenics, and 33 included in the IUCN Red List), whereas 369 species have been recorded in the Trebulani area (14 endemics, eight aliens, no cryptogenics, and 33 from the IUCN Red List). Six new species have been detected for the first time and five confirmed for the flora of Campania. The data collected during this survey underscores the importance of a collaborative approach among botanists for assessing the conservation status of the flora of the investigated territories, while also highlighting the occurrence of taxonomically critical groups requiring further investigation.