Urban green: taxonomic and distributive update of phytoindividuals found in the “Giardino Inglese” of Palermo (Sicily)

After the first investigations started in 1980, when in addition to the city trees, the most representative gardens of the city of Palermo were examined such as Villa Bonanno, Villa Trabia, Villa Niscemi, Villa Belmonte, Villa Florio-Pignatelli, the garden of Palazzo of Normanni, the Garibaldi Garden, the English Garden and, among private gardens, the garden of Villa Whitaker in Malfitano, the systematic study of urban green of the Sicilian capital underwent an arrest at the beginning of 2000. The research in this regard will resume 15 years later, involving Villa Natoli in Boccadifalco and the “Giardinetto dello Spasimo”, the latter in the historical center. Punctual studies of floristic character - aimed primarily at the elaboration of a catalog of trees, shrubs, and succulents cultivated in public and private accessible spaces - have been recently published. This contribution focuses on one of the historic gardens that had already been the subject of a previous study published in 2000, namely the Giardino Inglese, on Via Libertà. It is the first romantic garden planted in Palermo between 1851 and 1856, designed by the young architect Giovan Battista Filippo Basile - who became famous for designing the Teatro Massimo - under the wise guidance of Vincenzo Tineo, director of the Botanical Garden at the time. The Giardino Inglese - being designed and built "in the English style" - in the last 20 years of management not very consonant with its historical and monumental character, has suffered further losses and alterations of architectural nature. For this reason, we review the floristic survey carried out at the time and consequently updating the map dating back to 2000. The list of species found is poor if compared to that of the species introduced in the garden, among which there were many herbaceous and suffruticose plants, some of which were rare, then obviously disappeared. Today, the garden hosts only a small part of those present in the lists of purchases, made at the time in the most relevant Italian nursery centers (Turin, Naples, Palermo) and abroad (Marseille). Tree and shrubby species, a few bulbous and some succulent were predominantly preserved. The reduction of the botanical species - taking into account also those introduced between the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century - dates back to the last post-war period and has been progressive. A further impoverishment has occurred in the last 20 years if we consider the data resulting from the mentioned study of 2000 in which only 119 specific and infraspecific taxa are listed, while those resulting from our unpublished census carried out in recent months, rebalance a bit the gap. Based on the updating carried out, the florula of the garden is today constituted by 186 specific and infraspecific taxa divided into 127 genera of 60 botanical families. The most represented family is that of Arecaceae with 16 species referred to 9 genera; Moraceae follow with 12 species distributed in 4 genera, among which Ficus represented by 9 species; then Cupressaceae with 8 species afferent to 4 genera. Due to the showy seasonal flowering, it deserves a special mention Brachychiton acerifolius (A. Cunn. ex G. Don) F.Muell., Sterculiaceae, represented with other two species of the same genus. Considering the historical importance of the garden, it is useful to draw attention to the most significant plants in the garden, as well as the cases that were missed or misinterpreted in the first census. In some cases, these plants are new or very rare in European and Italian gardens, such as Pisoniella arborescens (Lag. & Rodr.) Standl. and Deutzia scabra Thunb. Important are also some trees such as: one plant of Ficus benghalensis L., two of F. macrophylla fo. columnaris (C. Moore) D.J.Dixon, and three of Araucaria columnaris (G. Forst.) Hook. (A. cookii R. Br. ex Endl.). One plant reported as A. cookii in the study published in 2000, was then considered its variety (Araucaria cookii var. luxurians Brongn. & Gris), and now recognized as a valid species [A. luxurians (Brongn. & Gris) de Laub.]. This last finding has a unique character in gardens all over Europe and the Mediterranean countries. Relevant cases, also under the aspect of "monumentality" or "singularity" are appropriately highlighted in the new map of phytoindividuals that has been elaborated and that is therefore presented. The legend summarizes all the elements that express the botanical value of the garden under study.