VASCULAR FLORA AND VEGETATION OF COZZO CUSIMANO AND BOSCO NAVURRA (NORTHWESTERN SICILY, ITALY)

The cork oak (Quercus suber) is one of the most emblematic tree species of the Mediterranean Basin, found in scrub and forests from sea level up to approximately 800 m a.s.l. This study aims to illustrate the vascular flora and vegetation of Cozzo Cusimano, a hilly area situated on the Mts. of Trabia, in northwestern Sicily, characterised by a mosaic of cork oak forest fragments interspersed with secondary woody plant communities resulting from long-lasting human disturbance. A total of 322 taxa, belonging to 235 different genera and 62 families, were recorded. The most abundant life forms were the therophytes, which represented almost 50% of the entire flora. The vast majority of species show a Mediterranean distribution, while only ten taxa are endemic to Sicily or Italy. Notwithstanding the vegetation of Cozzo Cusimano shows some patterns in common with the thermo-xerophilous cork oak woodlands ascribed to the associations Carici serratulae-Quercetum suberis and Stipo bromoidis-Quercetum suberis, the scattered presence of Quercus virgiliana, Erica arborea and Trifolium bivonae suggests a closer affinity with the most mesophilous oak forest stands of northern Sicily, referred to the Genisto aristatae-Quercetum suberis association.