The vascular flora of the Lake Burano Nature Reserve (Grosseto, southern Tuscany, Italy) [La Flora vascolare della Riserva Naturale Lago di Burano (Grosseto, Toscane meridionale)]

Lake Burano is in Tuscany, near the border with Latium (Capalbio municipality, Grosseto province, Italy). The results of a survey of the flora of the Lake Burano Nature Reserve in the period 1995-99 are reported. Data from the literature and specimens collected in the early 1990s during mycological studies were also considered. The landforms, climate and vegetation of the area are described, followed by a list of vascular plants with explanatory notes on entities of phytogeographical and/or conservation interest. The list consists of 522 taxa with 492 spontaneous or naturalised plants, 10 recently introduced species and 20 species found in the literature but not confirmed in the field. Spontaneous flora belongs to 301 genera and 81 families. Entities of phytogeographical interest for Tuscany and often for Italy include: i) endemic species and species close to the limit of their distribution, such as Dorycnium rectum, Fumaria bicolor, Linaria purpurea subsp. cossoni, Polygonum romanum and Quercus frainetto; ii) psammophiles such as Crucianella maritima, Euphorbia paralias, Medicago marina, Matthiola sinuata and Stachys maritima, most of which are in the Tuscan list of threatened species; iii) rare species and species with fragmented distribution linked to wet areas (salt and freshwater), such as Aeluropus littoralis, Artemisia coerulescens var. palmata, Carex ext ens a, C. riparia, Cladium mariscus, Eleocharis uniglumis, Euphorbia palustris, Halimione portulacoides, Hydrocotyle vulgaris, Orchis palustris, Plantago cornuti, Ranunculus sceleratus, Spartina juncea, Spirodela polyrrhiza and Stachys palustris. The data show that many years of protection have made the reserve one of the best conserved sectors of the Tuscan coast, with regard to flora.