PlantsMap

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10 plants worth knowing

Italy

Italy stretches from the spruce forests and high mountain meadows of the Alps to the Mediterranean maquis of Sicily and Sardinia. Over thousands of years people have shaped a cultural landscape here – avenues of cypresses, olive groves, vineyards and citrus terraces – that became the model of the “Italian landscape”. The country has one of the richest floras in Europe, with more than 1,000 endemics.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Olive 1

    crop · Olive branch on the emblem of the Italian Republic

    Olive

    Olea europaea

    An olive branch adorns Italy’s emblem, and Apulia, with millions of trees – some over a thousand years old – is the capital of Italian olive oil.
  2. Mediterranean cypress 2

    tree

    Mediterranean cypress

    Cupressus sempervirens

    Slender cypresses lining the winding roads of Tuscany form one of the most photographed landscapes in Europe.
  3. Stone pine 3

    tree

    Stone pine

    Pinus pinea

    Umbrella-shaped stone pines above the ruins of the Roman Forum and along the Via Appia Antica are the trees most associated with Rome.
  4. Strawberry tree 4

    shrub · Unofficial national symbol of Italy – the colours of the tricolour

    Strawberry tree

    Arbutus unedo

    Green leaves, white flowers and red fruit all at once – in the 19th century the strawberry tree was hailed as Italy’s living flag.
  5. Lemon 5

    crop

    Lemon

    Citrus × limon

    Terraced lemon groves above the Amalfi Coast produce the fruit from which limoncello is made.
  6. Grapevine 6

    crop

    Grapevine

    Vitis vinifera

    From Prosecco and Barolo to Chianti and Nero d’Avola – wine is made in all 20 regions of Italy, one of the world’s two largest producers.
  7. Tomato 7

    crop

    Tomato

    Solanum lycopersicum

    Though it came from the Americas, the tomato became the heart of Italian cooking – from pizza Margherita to San Marzano tomato sauce.
  8. Sweet chestnut 8

    tree

    Sweet chestnut

    Castanea sativa

    For centuries the “bread tree” of the Apennines – chestnut flour makes castagnaccio, and on Etna grows the Chestnut of a Hundred Horses.
  9. Basil 9

    herbaceous plant

    Basil

    Ocimum basilicum

    Genoese basil from Liguria is the basis of pesto alla genovese, and with mozzarella and tomato its green leaf gives pizza Margherita its colours.
  10. Durum wheat 10

    crop

    Durum wheat

    Triticum durum

    Durum wheat semolina makes genuine Italian pasta – Italy is the largest producer of this cereal in the European Union.