Nature Reserve’s Flora
Peat excavation radically changed the native plant panorama of the Reserve. There is no detailed information about the species present before the exaction period. Only at the end of the eighteenth century, the naturalist Cristoforo Pilati wrote that in the area of Torbiere was growing “a miserable grass, which both green and dry is useless”. That miserable grass was the sedge, species typically present in the wetlands. Whitin the Reserve there are 14 different species, that can be observed on the sides of the basins and along the routes. A more detailed reconstruction was made in 1970 by the botanist Arturo Crescini, who described and listed a large number of march vegetation.
The most important elements that have a huge influence on the ecological ecosystem of the Reserve are the quality of the water and its depth. Based on this last aspect you can find different species which create a variety of habitats, some of which protected by the European Union Habitat Directive.
Between the most important species, the Swamp Sawgrass (Cladium mariscus) whose stocks form the habitat known as Calcareous fens with Cladium mariscus – an European priority habitat. It is considered a relict species date back to the Holocene Period, characterized by a warmer and wetter climate. The leaves, of a greenish-grey colour, are evergreen and wrap the stem with rough, sharp primary vein and margins. The inflorescence is compound and bears small brown spikes joined in glomeruli with 2–6 flowers with the male at the top. The fruit consists of a brown achene (a dry fruit that does not open when ripe). Flowering period: May–June. In the Reserve it is easy to notice this species walking on the path towards the Birdwatching Tower.
Along the paths, at the sides of the basins during summer it is easy to observe the Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), a perennial grassy plant with reddish colour inflorescence that blooms from June to September. It is loved by pollinators such as bees and butterflies, who during the summer can find nourishment.
