Coastal Botanic Gardens of Veneto

The Botanic Gardens, situated in the southern part of the coast of Rosolina Mare, cover an area of about 24 hectares.
Established by Regione Veneto in 1990 in an area which has been then declared Site of Community Importance (SCI) and which has been afterwards included in the territory of Parco regionale Veneto del Delta del Po, they aim at preserving a unique natural environment of great scientific interest.
You can discover the environments of the Coastal Botanic Gardens along three different trails: a short trail interesting in particular the pinewood, a trail of intermediate length including all the environments except the brackish wetlands, and the longest one, which also includes this wetland.

The Vegetation of the Sand
Close to the sea, the typical vegetation of the sand is formed by very adaptable pioneer species, like the Sea Rocket (Cakile marittima), the Yellow Star-thistle (Xantium italicum), and the Sea Holly (Eryngium maritimum).
On the first dunes, still unstable, the flora begins to enrich with elements like Cyperus Kalli, the Sand Couch (Agropyron junceum), and the Sea Bindweed (Calystegia soldanella).
On the top of these dunes, thick tufts of European Beachgrass (Ammophila littoralis) forming a barrier against the wind, lead to the accumulation of sand and contribute to the development of dunes.
In the strip behind the dunes, it is possible to observe different kinds of vegetation according to the degree of stabilization reached in the development of the dunes; here plants like Vulpia membranacea or the Silver Scabious (Scabiosa argentea) grow.

Maquis
In the most backward areas, shrub vegetation grows: it consists of Juniper (Juniperus communis) and Phillyrea (Phillyrea sp.) and anticipates a Mediterranean maquis undergrowth.

Freshwater Wetlands
Where the water table emerges, in the depression between the dunes, the vegetation gets enriched with hygrophilous species like the Cattail (Typha sp.), the Great Fen-Sedge (Cladium mariscus), and the Common Reed (Phragmites australis).

Pinewood
The pinewood, formed by Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster) and Stone Pine (Pinus pinea), is the result of reforestation activities carried out between the 40s and the 50s and it spontaneously grew richer in the undergrowth with rare elements like orchids belonging to the genera Cephalantera, Ophrys, and Orchis. We must also mention the presence of the Ilex (Quercus ilex), witnessing the spontaneous trend towards the formation of a Mediterranean wood. In the western area, it is possible to observe an area rich in Small-leaved Elm (Ulmus minor), index of a natural environment favorable to the growth of a wood typical of plains.

Brackish Wetlands
In 1992 a trail was created to lead the visitors across the brackish environments next to Caleri lagoon.
The first stretch crosses an environment facing the tidal flats, characteristic tabular holms of the lagoon, made of clay and covered with a thick halophyte vegetation formed by perennial plants resisting the high salinity of the soil.
The trail develops along the tidal flat; footbridges give you the possibility to easily cross the small channels on the bottom of which, if the water is not cloudy, you can observe a benthic fauna (crabs, fingerlings, etc.), submerged flora (Zostera noltii), and seeweeds (Ulva, Enteromorpha, etc.).
At the edge of the tidal flats and near the lands of the "salt pan", a seasonal halophyte vegetation develops: it is formed by Salicornia veneta, Suaeda marittima, and Salsola soda.
In some stretches there are some border areas stabilized by Spartina maritima.
After crossing the tidal flats, the "halophilic trail" ends with the dune lands in the south-east; here the halophyte vegetation mixes with the dune vegetation, the soils are less salted and looser, and species like Juncus maritimus, Inula crithmiodes, together with other characteristic species develop.