This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

Centro Ricerche Floristiche dell’Appennino (CRFA) is located within the beautiful 14^th century monastery of S. Colombo, near Barisciano, in the provice of L’Aquila, within the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. Established in 2001 by an agreement between Ente Parco and Università degli Studi di Camerino, the main objective of CRFA is to study and preserve of the flora of Abruzzo, in particular of the Gran Sasso Park territory.

It holds and important herbarium (Herbarium Apenninicum) with about 65.000 plant samples, of which 40.000 digitalised and ordered by functional criteria. Among those, many evidences of very rare plants like Genista pulchella subsp. aquilana, that only lives in the Park.

There are also historic hebariums dating back to the 19^th century, with specie that are now extinct in Abruzzo, such as Dracunculus vulgaris and Achillea maritima; the Library, with about 2.700 titles mainly about botanical themes; the database of Italian flora, with updated nomenclature and regional distribution; the Flower Museum and a Botanical Garden.

Flower Museum and Botanical Garden

The Flower Museum, located within the ancient stables of the Franciscan convent of S. Colombo, describes the climate and geology of the territory over time, determining the development of its characteristic flora.

The Botanical Garden has several sections:

• The Officinal Plants Garden, made up of a modern Italian garden with geometric flowerbeds with species of an ethno-botanical interest, and of a walled up vegetable garden representing the medieval Hortus conclusus;
• The Small Park Garden, holding the reconstruction of the environments and vegetation of the area:
• The Path “Within the Fraiars’ Forest”, running behind the monastery, within an oakwood with interesting birds.

Annexed to the vegetable garden is a small nursery area for the production and acclimatization of plants exclusively destined to be grown there.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)