Sulla biodiversità orchidologica della Basilicata

The current strategy for enhancing environment and landscape named EcoRegionalConservation is focused on in situ conservation of germplasm and aims to protect biodiversity as a "service on the territory". Since the effect of several anthropic factors in the last years interested many ecosystems, there is the need of a deeper and more specific analysis of the biodiversity by taxonomy, karyology and habitat of several species. For its widest existing variability, the Orchidaceae family represents an interesting group to monitor the biodiversity in the Basilicata region. To document the presence and the distribution of this group, 51 sites, spread on all the Basilicata region, were explored and 311 entities belonging to 18 genera (Ophrys, Orchis, Serapias, Dactylorhiza, Aceras, Platanthera, Cephalanthera, Himantoglossum, Anacamptis, Gymnadenia, Epipactis, Coeloglossum, Neotinea, Neottia, Limodorum, Barlia, Listera, Spiranthes) and 8 interspecific hybrids were classified. The karyological characterisation confirmed the data available in literature, suggesting a further deepening of the quantitative results on chromosomal numbers by means of qualitative studies on their morphology and behaviour. Within the same species the morpho-biometric data revealed highly polymorphic labella and polychrome flowers. The results on the orchids altitude presence showed a preferential habitat at approximately 1000 meters above sea level. The flowering time varied from February in the species of stations at sea level, until September in the stations at high altitude, with a flowering peak in May (>52%). The exposure surveys have indicated the presence of distributed entities in the west (39%), east (31%) and south (16%); few species found in North. The results of this investigation are a contribution to safeguard and to utilize this germplasm in in situ conservation like a "natural economic capital".