The Italian Alps, and the Lombard Prealps in particular, welcome a new species of plant that has just been discovered: it is a flower never seen before, belonging to the Campanula genus and which has been called
Campanula bergomensis
, from the name of the province of which it is exclusive.
The flower, characterized by the typical bell shape,
is in fact found only in a few valleys near the city of Clusone
.
The discovery, published in the journal Phytotaxa, is due to a group of Italian researchers from the University of Siena, the University of Milan and the Flora Alpina Bergamasca group.
The new species, however,
already runs the risk of disappearing
and therefore requires
measures to protect it
.
The authors of the study, coordinated by Marco Caccianiga of the University of Milan and which sees Barbara Valle of the University of Siena as the first signatory, found affinities
with Campanula cespitosa
, which flowers in the eastern Alps in Italy, Austria and Slovenia.
However, thanks to genetic and morphological analyses, they were able to establish that they are actually two very distinct species and some specimens will now be cultivated in the Città Studi Botanical Garden of the University of Milan.
“This discovery demonstrates how Italian biodiversity still reserves many surprises and that knowledge about our flora and fauna is far from complete, as well as confirming the extraordinary floristic richness of the pre-Alpine areas,” says Caccianiga.
“To address the loss of biodiversity currently underway it is necessary first of all to know it in depth – says the Unimi professor – by also investigating apparently well-known territories”.
According to the researchers, the restricted distribution of the new species, which only minimally falls within protected areas, makes appropriate protection initiatives necessary.
“The species has a limited range and is seriously threatened by human activities", adds Valle: "It is therefore urgent to adopt protection and conservation measures".
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