Checklist of the vascular flora of the “Piani di Montelago” (Marche, Italy)

This study aims to provide a checklist of the vascular flora of the Piani di Montelago (Marche, Italy), a wetland of high conservation interest, by integrating historical records with data collected in a dedicated survey, and assess the changes in the occurrence of taxa of conservation interest over the last few decades. The floristic list consists of 481 specific and subspecific taxa, belonging to 65 families and 263 genera. Two taxa are floristic novelties to Italy ( Taraxacum subalpinum and T. porrigentilobatum group), and six are new to the Marche regional flora ( Carex paniculata subsp. paniculata, Hypericum perfoliatum , Lophiolepis eriophora , Mentha arvensis , Taraxacum frisicum , and T. olivaceum ). Twenty-one taxa are included in the IUCN Red List of the Italian Flora, six of which were not found in our survey. Among the taxa that were not found, 17 are typical of wetlands or are interesting from a conservation viewpoint. Most of these floristic losses can be traced back to the anthropogenic alterations that occurred in this wetland between the 1960s and 1970s.