The conservation of species listed in the Bern Convention and European Directive 1992/43/EEC (so-called policy species) is mandatory for European Union (EU) countries. We assessed the conservation status of Italian policy species, based on the IUCN categories and criteria, to evaluate the effectiveness of existing protection measures at the national level. Among the 203 vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens evaluated, 41.9% are categorized as threatened, and one is already extinct, indicating that the protection measures for policy species are inadequate. Our results for the Italian policy species are consistent with those of an assessment at the EU level. Conservation priorities should be established at both the national and regional scales. An effective conservation strategy is needed, and in situ and ex situ actions focused on threatened species should be promoted.

The census of the loci classici of 1,227 native, non-endemic vascular plants described from Italy is here presented and described. The effective place of publication of accepted names, basionyms and homotypic synonyms were identified and critically verified. The geographic information on the loci classici was excerpted from the protologues, as well as information on typification for the taxa described before 1 January 1958. The names without a holotype are 1,165. For 591 names a lecto- or neo-typification is available in literature, while 572 currently accepted taxa still need a type designation. For ten of these names showing previous ineffective typification, nomenclatural types are designated here (Allium savii, A. tenuiflorum, Anemone millefoliata, Catapodium tuberculosum, Cynosurus siculus, Filago congesta, Saponaria bellidifolia, Sclerochloa patens, S. zwierleinii, and Vicia leucantha). A new combination (Trisetaria aurea comb. nov.) is proposed. The general picture of the currently accepted taxa of vascular plants described from Italy, including endemics, amounts to 2,631, i.e. about 32% of the native flora currently recorded for the country.

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions of taxa in the generaAcalypha,Acer,Canna,Cardamine,Cedrus,Chlorophytum,Citrus,Cyperus,Epilobium,Eucalyptus,Euphorbia,Gamochaeta,Hesperocyparis,Heteranthera,Lemna,Ligustrum,Lycium,Nassella,Nothoscordum,Oenothera,Osteospermum,Paspalum,Pontederia,Romulea,Rudbeckia,Salvia,Sesbania,Setaria,Sicyos,Styphnolobium,Symphyotrichum, andTradescantia. Nomenclature and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as supplementary material.

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations and status changes to the Italian administrative regions for taxa in the generaAlchemilla,Arundo,Bupleurum,Clematis,Clinopodium,Cota,Crassula,Cytisus,Euphorbia,Hieracium,Isoëtes,Lamium,Leontodon,Linaria,Lychnis,Middendorfia,Ophrys,Philadelphus,Pinus,Sagina,Sedum,Taeniatherum,Tofieldia,Triticum,Veronica, andVicia. Nomenclature and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as supplementary material.

“The New Red List of the Italian Flora” includes all the Italian policy species and other species of known conservation concerns for a total of 400 taxa, 65% of which are threatened with extinction. The Red List is based on a huge georeferenced data-set useful for conservation purpose