Prodrome of the Italian vegetation: A new alliance for the high-mountain chamaephytic communities of central and southern Apennines

AbstractThe new alliance Cerastio tomentosi-Globularion meridionalis and the new association Helianthemo alpestris-Globularietum meridionalis are here proposed as a contribute to the prodromeof Italian vegetation. The new syntaxa are related to the chamaephytic high- mountainvegetation and they are characterized by a wide presence of endemics, southern European orophytes, mountain-Mediterranean, and amphi-Adriatic species. The proposal aims to differentiate, on a structural basis, the high- mountainvegetation of the Apennines at higher syntaxonomical levels.