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This oasis is located in the Municipality of Pisa, in Migliarino San Rossore Regional Park, and is part of the Site of Community Importance called “Selva Pisana” (SIC IT5170002).

The oasis stretches over some 220 acres featuring “tomboli” and “lame” (curbs of sand dunes alternated with depressions) and representing the part of the forest where human and animal interventions have been much less dramatic; the undergrowth, for instance, is perfectly preserved and often impenetrable.
It’s therefore quite difficult to enter this area and observe the thick vegetation of Quercus ilex (holm oak), Fraxinus spp. (ash), and Alnus glutinosa (alder). On the other hand, several species of pines (Pinus pinea and others) typical of the Tuscan coast are quite rare. Pines have been hardly ever replaced by oaks.

The vegetation includes marshy hydrophilic plants thanks to the aquifer that generates several channels and pools.

There is also the most important presence in Italy of the rare Periploca graeca (silk vine), a climber with a woody stem and belonging to the Apocynaceae family.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)