The Endemic Vascular Flora of Supramontes (Sardinia), a Priority Plant Conservation Area

Abstract

FENU, G., E. MATTANA, A. CONGIU & G. BACCHETTA (2010). The endemic vascular flora of Supramontes (Sardinia), a priority plant conservation area. Candollea 65: 347–358. In English, English and French abstracts.The main aim of this work is to present a checklist of the endemic vascular flora of the Supramontes region (Central Eastern Sardinia) in order to classify this area in the Sardinian biogeographic subprovince and to better assess its conservation priorities. It is one of the most interesting regions of the Island and spreads for 335 km2 from the inland limestone massif to the Orosei gulf. This work was based on bibliographic and herbarium studies, integrated by several field surveys carried out from 2004 to 2009. In this study 138 endemic taxa, belonging to 98 genera and 42 families, have been found, with 92 of which being species, 40 subspecies, 5 varieties and 1 hybrid. The analysis of biologic and chorologic data highlighted the peculiarities of this territory. Due to the relatively high number of Supramontes exclusive endemics and to the geologic and geomorphologic peculiarities, it is here proposed a biogeographic classification for these territories and the identification of an autonomous biogeographic sector divided in two distinct subsectors. According to the recent conservation policies at local level, we propose the definition of micro hotspots for this sector, which hold ca. the 40% of the endemic flora of Sardinia, and the concept of nano hotspots for three narrows areas with an exceptional concentration of endemic species, which represent less than 1% of the whole sector surface and whose in situ protection may allow conserving of more than 80% of the vascular endemic flora of this sector.