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Established in 1963, the Garden of Apennine Flora of Capracotta is located at 5.003 ft above sea level, covering more than 25 acres and reaching the edge of a silver fir forest – a legacy of the Quaternary Era – on the northern slope of Mount Campo.
It is a natural botanical garden, where the plant species of autochthonous flora of the central-southern Apennines are preserved and protected, as well as several different habitats, including marshland, rocky patches, groves of beech trees and shrubs.

Inside the garden, in addition to several themed trails, the different habitats feature their specific collections of plants; in fact, there are also fir tree groves, mountain prairies, ponds and a swamp.

The garden safeguards about 500 mountain plant species: several of them are threatened of extinction. Special sections of this facility have been specifically created to protect species of remarkable value such as Leontopodium nivale and Adonis bistorta, as well as endemic varieties like Centaurea scannensis.

Furthermore, three terraces are dedicated to medicinal plants and interesting species from an agronomic point of view, such as the Capracotta lentil.
The garden is currently managed by the Department of Biosciences and Territory of the University of Molise, based in Pesche (IS). This great botanical facility is engaged in various research and regional biodiversity conservation projects, as well as in the reconstruction of natural habitats and the recovery of protected and endangered plants; in collaboration with the Banca del Germoplasma del Molise, this garden is also focused on the conservation of seeds and the propagation of natural and cultivated species at risk of extinction or useful for environmental recovery. Finally, in collaboration with ARSIA Molise, recovery and enhancement of local agro-food essences is currently underway.

The Garden also promotes environmental education and nature tourism through the constant creation of instructional paths, guided tours and scientific dissemination events.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)