abstract

Vegetation  of high altitude rocks of Molise. This paper is a contribution to the knowledge of high altitude rock-face vegetation of Molise region; the plant communities have been investigated according to the Braun-Blanquet phytosociological approach. The study area includes the limestone mountainous chain Le Mainarde, which is part of the Abruzzo, Lazio and MoliseNational Park, and the Mountains of Matese, which are included in the widest pSIC of Molise “La Gallinola – Monte Miletto – Monti del Matese”. Twenty-one phytosociological relevès were collected and subjected to multivariate analysis techniques in order to define objective clusters on a statistical basis. Three groups of community types were identified as the following associations: Cystopteridetum fragilis saxifragetosum porophyllae subass. nova hoc loco, belonging to the alliance Cystopteridion, Potentilletum apenninae and Saxifrago australis–Trisetetum bertolonii minuartietosum rosanii subass. nova hoc loco, belonging to Saxifragion australis. The distribution of the three associations is related to the aspect and to the dimension of the fissures on the cliffs.

keywords

chorology, high mountain, Molise, rock-face vegetation, syntaxonomy