The segetal flora of winter cereals and allied crops in Italy: species inventory with chorological, structural and ecological features

Abstract

We present the first inventory of the segetal flora of Italian winter cereal crops and allied crop types. The database consists of over 30,000 records, derived from different sources. We provide information and analyses on life forms, chorotypes, Ellenberg indicator values and preferential habitats of the flora. The inventory includes 987 vascular taxa and nothotaxa (868 species, 118 subspecies and 1 nothosubspecies), belonging to 354 genera and 55 families. Characteristic segetal species are 128, while 740 are generalist or accidental species from other habitats. Species exclusive of segetal habitats are 47. One species is extinct, and one is not confirmed in Italy. We recorded 42 neophytes, 15 archaeophytes and 10 cryptogenic species. Segetal species that are threatened in Europe are 45. Species in the Italian Red List are four, and five are threatened endemic species. The most frequent species are Papaver rhoeas (1,045 records), Convolvulus arvensis (623) and Ranunculus arvensis (571). Most species are therophytes (64%) and have a Mediterranean (36%), wide (14%) or eastern (13%) distribution range. Mean Ellenberg indicator values revealed relevant ecological affinities between the inventoried flora and cultivated winter cereals. Our work represents the basis for future applied studies in botany, ecology and agronomy.

Keywords:

• Agrestal weeds
• agroecosystems
• arable flora
• archaeophytes
• EUNIS Habitat
• floristic inventories
• Red Lists
• winter annual crops

Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of the Herbaria RO and SIENA and that of the Library of the Department of Environmental Biology (Sapienza University of Rome) for the support in the search and consultation of exsiccata and literature. We also thank T. Fiaschi for the help in retrieving herbarium samples in SIENA and S. Cambria for providing two unpublished phytosociological relevés.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

E.F., M.L., M.I. and G.A. were partially funded by Sapienza University of Rome (project no. RM118164361D0EE4). G.B. was funded by the Czech Science Foundation (project no. 19-28491X).