The Circeo Park Flora

The vegetation of the Circeo National Park is rich, diverse and abundant. Each of the different habitats within the park has its own peculiar characteristics. The dominating flora is a blend of Thyrrenian mixed oak forests characterized by the predominance of mixed sclerophyllous evergreen oak (Quercus ilex, Q. suber) and deciduous (Quercus pubescens, Fraxinus ornus, Ostrya carpinifolia) species.

The deciduous oak woodland dominated by pedunculate oak (Quercus pedunculata), turkey oak (Q. cerris) and Hungarian oak (Q. frainetto) together with caucasian ash (Fraxinus oxycarpa), common alder (Alnus glutinosa) and English elm (Ulmus procera). In the Forest, the oak species dominate, from the turkey oak to the common oak, from the holm oak to the coark oak, which cover an underwood rich in ivy and in beautiful cyclamen bloomings;

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Promontory:
In the Promontory, the northern slope is covered by a luxuriant termophilous holm oak forest with a great quantity of strawberry trees, while, on the opposite slope, by the sea, there are the Phoenician juniper with its twisted shape caused by the sea-breeze and the European fan palm. On the south side, called the ‘quarto caldo’ ( means the warm zone), the headland is covered with Mediterranean scrub with holly oak, strawberry bush, myrtle, shrub heather and many kinds of other low bush; dwarf palms grow on the rocks

Mediterranean type vegetation including holm oak (Q. ilex) with undergrowth Pistacia lentiscus, Phillyrea latifolia and Erica arborea; marshlands with caucasian ash, grey willow (Salix cencerea), pedunculate oak and alder; The northern side instead, known as the ‘quarto freddo’ (the cold zone), is characterized by high underwood, with holly oak, white oak, hornbeam and broom. At the foot of this stretches a luxuriant oakwood.

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Dunes:
In the dunes’ habitat, the consolidation of the sandy substratum against the erosive agents is caused by several species like the cade, whose presence dominates the dune, and the water lily, which can have wonderful and lasting summer blooming despite of the very hot temperatures; Stone pine (Pinus pinea) constitutes important forests close to the coastal sand dunes. Anthropic vegetation with pine, eucalyptus and poplar groves. Between the lakes and coastal dunes we find several cultivated fields, the agroecosystems with water melon, tomatoes, paprika and kiwi.

Wetlands:
In the Wetlands, besides some alophilic and lagoon species surrounding the bank of the lakes and of the marshy areas, the large pastures complete the landscape: they are characterized by the presence of the typical stuft of the rush; Relict hygrophilous temperate deciduous oak forests (Quercus robur) appear locally near wetlands similarly to other areas of the Italian Peninsula like the Maremma in Tuscany and on Corsica Island.

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Zannone Island:
In the Island of Zannone, the Mediterranean species typical of the maquis give the island's landscape a luxuriant appearance with their marked multi-colored blooming. It is possible to notice the presence of some endemic species and of a specimen of chestnut oak, the only one of the island. In all probability, because man has never definitely settled down here, Zannone Island has been left virtually integral as it was witout the human presence.

The Benedictine monks were the only humans to settle in the Convent of Santo Spirito for sometime, but abandoned it after a short period due to the continuous raids of the Mediterranean pirates. Therefore, it managed to preserve a florid vegetation. More than ever in autumn, Zannones’ slopes cover up with intense pink color of the heather, together with the pure white of myrtle and lentisk.

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