The moss flora of a Mountain Botanical Garden in Liguria (NW Italy) Giardino Botanico Montano di Pratorondanino

Abstract

The moss flora of a small (i.e., 0.6 ha) mountain botanical garden in central Liguria (NW Italy) was investigated in order to draw up the first checklist of the taxa occurring in the site, that belong to a Special Area of Conservation within the Natura 2000 network. The garden, located on an ophiolitic bedrock but offering a great variety of substrates and microhabitats, is intended for vascular plants and there is no Bryophyte species introduced by humans, except for Sphagnum spp. Despite this, it presents a remarkable moss specific richness, resulting in a total of 36 taxa. Of these, 4 taxa are new to Liguria and 4 taxa are confirmation for the region. Our study suggests that small botanical gardens may be useful for enhancing local and regional bryological knowledge.