| The Natural Reserve of the
Zingaro is located in the extremity of the tyrrhenian west
coast of Sicily and it is the continuity of the set of calcareous
reliefs of the Mesozoic origin in the Palermo area, near to
Monte Cofano. In the reserve, is important for the vegetation
the general climate indicated by annual average temperature
of 19° C and by a rainfall of 645 mm. |
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Also when it
doesn't rain, often there are on the mountains fog banks that
comes from the sea and that maintains local damp microclimates.
Beyond to common species of the Mediterranean area in the
reserve there are particular elements very interesting like
the Limonium flagellare (limonio), the Helichrysum rupestre
var. rupestre (perpetuino), the Dianthus rupicola (garofanino),
the Centaurea ucriae (fiordaliso di Sicilia), the Brassica
bivoniana, the Helichrysum pendulum, the Seseli bocconei (finocchiella),
the Brassica drepanensis (cavolo selvaggio), the Hieracium
cophanense, the Minuartia verna subsp. grandiflora, the Lithodora
rosmarinifolia (erba perla), the Convolvolus cneeorum (vilucchio
turco) and the rare Limonium todaroanum (limonio di Todaro).
This seminatural ambient, result of a millenary action of
the shepherd, farmer and crafts-man man, shelters endemic
expressions like the Serratula cichoracea subsp. Mucronata
(that is presents in the north-african coasts too) and a lot
of orchidee terricole (kind of orchid) like the Ophrys lunulata
(ofride), the Ophrys oxyrrhynchos, the Orchis commutata and
the Orchis. In the nearness of the emergent rocks begin to
grow the endemic Allium lehmanni, the Iris pseudopumila (giaggiolo),
the Ranunculus rupestris (ranuncolo) and the Micromeria graeca
subsp. fruticulosa (issopo). |
| The vegetal
scenery is dominated for a part from apparences of ephemeron
or perennial grassland composite by the Cymbopogon hirtus
(barboncino mediterraneo) and from the Ampelodesmos mauritanicus
(disa). Around the northern slopes of Mount "Passo del
Lupo", you can see a beautiful wall covered with a very
old plant of ivy, are found reptails of ilex wood and in the
west end of the reserve also some cork-plantation fragments.
The Riserve shelters about six hundred species of vascular
plants and also about one hundred of "macromiceti",
bryophyte, ferns and lichens in full flowering in the begin
of spring. Some areas become reforested with local essences;
in other areas will not become executed any intervention to
control if and how the vegetation develop naturally; other
areas are opened to the controlled pasture, to value the quantity
of live-stock compatible with the preservation of the existing
grassland. Little areas, at last, are legitimately cultivated
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Riserva dello Zingaro