The flora of the southern Aurunci Mountains

Most of the Aurunci mountains range in South Pontino (Latium) is a protected area after the institution of the Aurunci Mountains Regional Park in 1997. The protected area extends for over 19,000 hectars in this area of southern Latium. Milions of years ago’ these magnificent Mediterranean mountains were covered by the sea. Fossils of marine molluscs provide evidence of the marine origins of the rocks and they can be found also in the numerous natural caves which attract a great number of speleologists.

Most of the local watercourses are seasonal. The southern slopesof the Aurunci present the typical semi-arid Mediterranean environment of evergreen shrubs dominated by olive (Olea europaea subsp. oleaster) and carob (Ceratonia siliqua), also with Pistacia lentiscus, Chamaerops humilis (dwarf palm), Myrtus communis, Juniperus oxycedrus, Euphorbia arborescens, Cistus and few Pinus halepensis scattered in the most inaccessible places, like on cliffs or vertical slopes.

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Until the very end of 1800s impenetrable forests covered the whole territory providing a secure shelter to numerous gangs of bandits of all sorts. Today many internal valleys are peaceful and green Mediterranean pastures alternate with hilly farmed land with fields and typical terracing where olive groves are reigning.The Aurunci Mountains reveal a dual scenery and appearance and from the botanical point of view, depends on the particular location of the park. The Aurunci Mountains and the nearby Ausoni and Lepini Mountains represent a peculiar and unique area of transition between the central and southern Apennines.

On the southern slopes the landscape is characterized by arid and bare sunny slopes with large belts of white bare rocks bare of vegetations with larger trees. Here on the southern slopes, the Aurunci mountains reflect in the sea with many drier, sunny slopes and a fantastic view on Gaeta’s gulf ; these warmer hills close to sea, at times fiery-hot and bare other times are covered by that shade of dark, silver green of a symbol of the Mediterranean soul of this land: the olive tree .

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Outside the farmed fields, the sea winds gave the seaward slopes a barren appearance, with landscape of low scrub or garrigue. Here the Mediterranean bush is the symbol of nature’s strength and determination that resists to everything: hot sun (up to temperature over 40 c* in the summer hottest days), winds, rain, fire. Mastic and strawberry trees, daphne, cistus, rosmarine and heather and many other plants varieties cover the sunny hills and mountains in every season.

Here the Aurunci southern side display typical Mediterranean vegetation, with a the charming Mediterranean Pine, cork tree, beech and cacti like the local ‘fico d’India’, the Indian Fig Opuntia (Opuntia ficus-indica), a good-looking, domesticated species of cactus plant which found a perfect environment in the Aurunci Mountains arid and semiarid southern slopes. The Mediterranean vegetation show also extended areas with Quercus ilex and Quercus suber especially in the area surrounding the slopes of Mt Ruazzo and on the slopes close to the sea near Punta Cetarola and on the hills between the villages of Sperlonga and Itri .

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The higher plateau display spectacular open pastures, where among the white rocks excursionists will find large pastures and meadows of Bromus erectus which prevail in the areas between 800 and 1200 mt alternate with Salvia officinalis, Euphorbia spinosa, Centaurea rupestris, Corydalis pumila, Pseudolysimachion barrelieri, Pontetilla cinerea, Corydalis pumila, Scabiosa crenata, and Asphodeline liburnica.

These large open pastures are the preferred area by some species of large birds of prey which avoid dense forest like the Buzzard (Buteo Buteo) and the Snakes eagle (Circaetus Gallicus) often spotted here when hunting. The whole area of the Aurunci Mountains is a karst land where water dissolves the porous limestone, seeping below the ground. Here karstic plateaux and karst plains alternate with woodland landscapes.

The surface is therefore full of karst sinkholes and swallow holes, whilst beneath the surface there are numerous caves and chasms. The land under the surface is plenty of water reserves created by the water seeping below the ground. Geology (fractured carbonate rocks), morphology (presence of a network of cavities produced by karst processes), and hydrogeology (rapid concentrated flow through fractures and conduits) of karst carbonates strongly favour the movement of contaminants towards the water table.

For this reason the karst environments of these mountains are highly vulnerable to a variety of degradation and pollution problems and deserve particular attention and efforts to protect the territory against intense human use and mismanagement. The limitation to a sustainable and responsible forms of tourism and the protection of the environment, in particular against the common practice to dump refuse into sinkholes and caves is crucial. This is important to avoid the pollution of limestone aquifers, and the effects that such pollution in karst areas might have in terms of the risk to public health.

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