This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

In the upper part of Valtellina, right above Bormio, at 4.430 ft, there’s the Rezia Alpine Garden, which has featured the most representative plant species of the Stelvio Park since 1982.
500 species grow on the 3.5-acre area, with little less than 300 autochthonous plants.

In the Garden, 4 sections have been specifically created with 64 sub-sectors arranged according to ecological or practical features of all the plant species.

A special sector of the park is dedicated to the species usually found in the undergrowth and shady environments.

The flora of the Stelvio National Park, which is the most representative in the garden, is arranged according to phytosociological order, within 31 sectors which include plants belonging to the same class of association.

The sectors of the Stelvio National Park typical flora are:

I SECTOR: HIGH GRASS
Species of soils rich in organic substances, typical of resting areas and places of the external housing of the livestock; herbaceous species of wet and fresh gorges with irrigated soil.

II SECTOR: NIVAL VALLEY SPECIES
Plants of depressions and valleys where the snow persists for a long time, limiting plant life to very short spells, both on acid snowy soil and on calcareous soil – especially between 7.217/9.514 ft.

III SECTOR: WET PRAIRIE SPECIES
Plants of submontane and alpine hygrophilous grasslands on neutral soil temporarily flooded in spring, but dry in summer.

IV-V SECTOR: MOUNTAIN AND SUBMONTANE PRAIRIE SPECIES
Grassland plants influenced by the man with fertilization and multiple mowing.

VI SECTOR: MOUNTAIN AND SUBALPINE PRAIRIE SPECIES
Meadow species on acidic or weakly acidic soil, often wet, mowed only once.

VIIA e B SECTOR: PIONEER SPECIES OF LANDSLIDES AND SILICEOUS STONES
Typical of the subalpine, alpine and snowy habitats on stony ground and limestone moraines between 4.265/9.842 ft.

VIIC SECTOR: PIONEER SPECIES OF LANDSLIDES AND SILICEOUS STONES
Pioneer species of the snowy and alpine moraines, as well as the dry or partially humid siliceous stony ground between 7.217/8.858 ft.

VIII SECTOR: DRY ALPINE PASTURES, ON CALCAREOUS SOIL SPECIES
Species of scarcely snowy slopes, steep, dry and stony, between 8.202/9.514 ft.

IX SECTOR: QUICK DRYING WINDY HILL SPECIES
Species subject to frequent high-temperature changes between 7.217/8.858 ft.

X SECTOR: SECONDARY PASTURE PRAIRIE SPECIES
Species of lean pastures, descaled and acidified, on humus-rich soil dominated by Nardus stricta (a species very little sought after by cattle).

XI SECTOR: ARID ALPINE PASTURE ON SILICEOUS SOIL SPECIES
Species of very acid pastures and humus-rich slopes between 7.545/9.842 ft.

XII SECTOR: CLIFF SPECIES
It covers limestone cliff species.

XIII SECTOR: ARCTIC ALPINE SPECIES
Species that today are present both in the arctic areas and in what’s left of the glaciers.

XIV SECTOR: TRAMPLED AREA SPECIES
Species resistant to trampling, frequent along the streets, in the squares, and in other places with intense trampling.

XV SECTOR: HOT STONES AND SUNNY LIMESTONE SLOPE SPECIES
Frequent species in the slopes facing south, and on the mountain horizon.

XVI-XVII SECTOR: RUDERAL OR UNCULTURED AREA SPECIES
Nitrophilous species (they love nitrogen), biennial or perennial, in areas rich in ruins, weeds, and weed crops.

XVIII-XIX SECTOR: ANNUAL SPECIES OF AREAS RICH IN RUINS OR TEMPORARILY UNUSED
Nitrophilous and fast-growing weed species

XX-XXI SECTOR: AROMATIC AND MEDICINAL SPECIES
It houses the most commonly used species for their medicinal or aromatic properties in the territory of the Stelvio National Park.

XXII SECTOR: MOUNTAIN PINEWOOD SPECIES
Very frequent group of plants in mountain pine and heather thickets.

XXIII SECTOR: XEROFILE SPECIES OF CALCAREOUS STONES
Frequent on stony, arid, and sunny slopes, repopulated by these species especially after landslides or landfills.

XXIVA-B-C SECTOR: LOW GRASSY AREA SPECIES
Species of steppe wrecks and siliceous rock slopes, with little soil and exposed to the south in the sub-mountain and mountain areas.

XXV SECTOR: WOODEN EDGE AND ROAD SPECIES
Frequent species at the edge of the woods, in hedges, and abandoned road wrecks.

XXVI SECTOR: DWARF ALPINE-SUBALPINE BUSH SPECIES
Species found on windy mountain hills, at the edge of the alpine horizon, on sunny slopes, with scarce snow or dry, not very fertile and sometimes subject to intense grazing.

XXVII SECTOR: MOUNTAIN BUSH SPECIES
Shrubby species frequent on sunny slopes, along the roads and in stony mountain places.

XXVIII SECTOR: MARSH AND BOG SPECIES
Hydro-hygrophilous species which like springs, streams, mountain swamps, and peat bogs.

XXIX SECTOR: HYDROPHILE VALLEY BOTTOM SPECIES
In willow bushes and alder bushes along the banks of the waterways.

XXX SECTOR: OPEN WATER SPECIES
Aquatic species found in mountain and alpine pools of water.

XXXI SECTOR: RIVERBANK SPECIES
Plants found on soils abundantly permeated with water, stony, and alluvial sandbanks.

LXIIA-B SECTOR: UNDERGROWTH SPECIES
Species found near the undergrowth and shady environments.

LXIIIA-B SECTOR: FERNS, FLORA AND CLIFF VEGETATION
Plants that live in the woods on moist soil, and vegetation of rocks and cliffs.

LXIV SECTOR: ANNUAL CLIFF SPECIES
Annual species with rapid growth.

PHYTOGEOGRAPHIC COLLECTIONS – The phytogeographic section hosts some of the most representative species of the other alpine areas, of the main European and extra-European mountain chains; they’re grouped according to their geographical distribution.
This section is divided into the following sectors:

XXXII SECTOR: EASTERN ALPS SPECIES (from the Dolomites to the Karawanks)

XXXIII SECTOR: WESTERN AND CENTRAL ALPS SPECIES

XXXIIIA SECTOR: WESTERN AND EASTERN ALPS SPECIES

XXXIV-XXXV SECTOR: SPECIES OF THE INSUBRICAL PREALPS (between Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda) mostly endemic species.

XXXVI SECTOR: SPECIES OF THE APENNINIAN FLORA

XXXVII SECTOR: NORTH AMERICA SPECIES

XXXVIII SECTOR: CENTRAL AND WESTERN ASIA SPECIES (from the Altai Mountains and Asia Minor)

XXXIX SECTOR: SPECIES OF EASTERN ASIA (from China and Japan)

XL SECTOR: SPECIES OF AUSTRAL AREAS (New Zealand, Patagonia, and the Falkland Islands)

XLI-XLII SECTOR: SPECIES OF THE ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC AREAS (Greenland)

XLIII SECTOR: SPECIES OF CENTRAL EUROPE, THE PYRENEES, AND THE URALS

XLIV SECTOR: CAUCASUS SPECIES

XLV SECTOR: SPECIES OF CENTRAL EUROPE AND THE PYRENEES

XLVI-LVI SECTOR: SPECIE DEI CARPAZI E DELL’EUROPA ORIENTALE

XLVIIA-B SECTOR: SPECIES OF THE SIBERIAN AREA

XLVIII SECTOR: SPECIES OF HIMALAYA

XLIX SECTOR: EASTERN EUROPE SPECIES

L SECTOR: FLORA OF THE ANDES

SYSTEMATIC COLLECTIONS – The third section covers plants of the systematic collection, grouped by genres. For instance, there’s the biggest possible quantity of the Leontopodium, Dianthus, Gentiana, Potentilla, Saxifraga genus, etc.

ARBORETUM – the fourth section is dedicated to many typical plants of this very environment, including specimens from the Stelvio Park and international ones as well. Since they all tend to grow quite slowly, this very section is currently under constant development.

Text and photo source: http://www.ortobotanicoitalia.it/lombardia/rezia/

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)