Madonie flora: endemic plants, orchids and when they flower

The flora of the Madonie numbers about 1,500 species and subspecies of vascular plants, more than half of all Sicilian flora, on just 1.55% of the island’s surface. That is the figure in the Park’s plant biodiversity map published by Raimondo, Schicchi and Surano in 2004, which also counts 170 endemics. The richest area is the plateau between Pizzo Carbonara and Piano Battaglia, with 1,175 species in a single map square.

The emblem is Abies nebrodensis, but it is not the only plant that lives only here. In spring peonies, wild orchids and cushions of endemic broom come into flower. This guide tells you what to look for, where and in which month.

At a glance

• Species: about 1,500 vascular plants, over half of Sicily’s flora (Raimondo and others, 2004).
• Endemics: 170, many found only in the Madonie.
• Richest area: Pizzo Carbonara-Piano Battaglia, 1,175 species and 118 endemics in a square of about 40 km².
• High-altitude flowering: from late May to June.
• Emblem: Abies nebrodensis, the Sicilian fir.
• Rule: picking plants or parts of plants is forbidden throughout the park.

Why the Madonie have so many plants

There are three reasons: altitude, rocks and history. The park runs from sea level to almost 2,000 metres and combines limestone, dolomite, sandstone and clay. Each of these environments hosts different plants.

ISPRA adds the climate history. During the ice ages plants from cold countries moved south and stayed on the summits when the climate warmed. That is why in the Madonie beech, wych elm, sessile oak and sycamore live alongside Mediterranean, African and Asian plants.

The 2004 map confirms it: many northern species, such as beech, the southern sessile oak, Gussone’s Turkey oak, wych elm and some sedges, reach the southern limit of their range here. Next to them are species of the Mediterranean mountains and plants from the Balkans and North Africa.

Endemic plants of the Madonie

An endemic is a plant that lives only in one area. The 2004 map lists many species found only in the Madonie; the Park Authority describes some on its page “I fiori delle Madonie”. This table gathers the best known.

Plant	Scientific name	Where	Source
Sicilian fir	Abies nebrodensis	Vallone Madonna degli Angeli	Park Authority
Nebrodi milk-vetch	Astracantha nebrodensis	Spiny cushions above 1,200 m	Park Authority, Raimondo and others
Nebrodi violet	Viola nebrodensis	Slopes of Pizzo Carbonara	Park Authority
Cupani’s broom	Genista cupanii	800-1,600 m, Piano Catagiddebbe	Park Authority, tourist district
Madonie broom	Genista madoniensis	Cork oak woods of Lascari, Gratteri, Collesano, Pollina	Raimondo and others
Sicilian feather grass	Stipa sicula	Only on Monte Quacella	Park Authority
Gussone’s woodruff	Asperula gussonei	High limestone and dolomite rocks	Park Authority
Sicilian aubrieta	Aubrieta deltoidea	Madonie	Park Authority
Nebrodi thrift	Armeria nebrodensis	Madonie	Park Authority
White ragwort	Senecio candidus	Madonie	Raimondo and others
Sorrentino’s aster	Aster sorrentinii	Between Polizzi Generosa, Castellana Sicula and the Petralias	Park Authority

The Pizzo Carbonara and Piano Battaglia square has the most rare species: the 2004 map records plants there that are not found in the other squares, such as Adenostyles nebrodensis and Gagea busambarensis.

Milk-vetch and broom: the spiny cushions

At altitude many plants grow as low, spiny cushions to withstand wind and cold. The Nebrodi milk-vetch forms cushions above 1,200 metres, in harsh conditions. Cupani’s broom, named after the Sicilian botanist Francesco Cupani, grows between 800 and 1,600 metres.

On the western side of Pizzo Carbonara, at Piano Catagiddebbe, the Cefalù Madonie tourist district reports stands of Cupani’s broom that cover the meadow with golden cushions. On the path from Nociazzi to the Madonna dell’Alto the first milk-vetch cushions appear above 1,200 metres.

Orchids and peonies

Wild orchids are among the most sought-after flowers in the park. The Park Authority has published a field photo guide with 89 photographs, by Amedeo Falci and Antoine Giardina. Among the species found in only one map square, the 2004 map lists Ophrys archimedea.

Orchids grow in meadows and clearings, and they suffer when wild boar turn over the soil: the Park Authority says so in its 2025 report. Along the dirt road of the Abies nebrodensis trail the Authority reports many wild orchids, some found only in the Madonie.

The peony, with red or white flowers, blooms between March and June in the mountain belt, according to the Park Authority. The 2004 map lists Paeonia mascula in the undergrowth of holm oak and oak woods. In the highest areas it flowers between late May and June.

The flowering calendar

In the Madonie spring climbs higher as the weeks pass. This table sums up the sequence described by Wikipedia and the Park Authority.

Period	Where	What flowers
Late winter	Hills and middle mountains	White tree heath, almond-leaved pears, blackthorn
Spring	Meadows and fields	Clovers and vetches, red sulla, yellow broom along streams, pink asphodels
March-June	Mountain belt	Red and white peonies
Spring	High meadows	Basilisco (Cachris ferulacea)
Late May-June	Rocky, highest areas	Orchids, peonies, dog roses, wild lilies
Autumn	Scrub and oak woods	Fruits of strawberry tree, service tree and azarole

The basilisco deserves a note. It is a herbaceous plant that dominates the high meadows in spring, and on its dead roots grows the basilisco mushroom, Pleurotus nebrodensis, prized in Madonie cooking. In zone A of the park picking it is forbidden.

Where to see Madonie flora

Four routes cover the richest habitats. Start points and details are on the linked pages.

The Carbonara plateau. The Pizzo Carbonara trail crosses high pastures with basilisco, dolines with beeches and endemic plants such as the Nebrodi violet, the dwarf viola piccinina, mountain flax, Nebrodi alyssum and Gasparrini’s spurge, according to the tourist district.

The Vallone Madonna degli Angeli. Along the dirt road of the Abies trail the Park Authority lists Nebrodi milk-vetch, mountain flax, Sicilian feather grass, Sicilian ironwort, Sicilian soapwort, Sicilian bellflower and dwarf Sicilian iris.

Monte Quacella. Dolomite cliffs and scree with the park’s most typical rock vegetation. The 2004 map points to the Quacella “Serre” as the place where these habitats are at their best. A climb for experienced hikers: see the Monte Quacella page.

From Nociazzi to the Madonna dell’Alto. Trail 553, near Castellana Sicula, passes beeches, spurges, broom, wild pears and orchids, and above 1,200 metres meets the milk-vetch.

For the woods and their trees, from cork oaks to beeches, there is the guide to woods and beech forests of the Madonie. For the park’s emblem tree there is the guide to Abies nebrodensis.

Rare plants of wet places

Springs and small peat bogs host species that have almost disappeared elsewhere in Sicily. Wikipedia mentions the royal fern, tied to springs and peaty soil in or at the edges of woods.

At the Vallone Scopalacqua waterfall, on the SP54, the Park Authority reports a rare aquatic fern known locally as filici francisi. In the peat bogs of Geraci Siculo, the so-called margi, the layers of peat hold pollen from the last 10,000 years.

Wild greens and tradition

In the Madonie wild plants are also food. Every April Isnello devotes three days to the Festa delle verdure tradizionali e antiche delle Madonie, with tastings and a conference on biodiversity. In Castelbuono, between late May and June, the Infiorata covers via Sant’Anna with carpets of flowers and seeds.

Rules: look, photograph, do not pick

The Park’s visitor rules forbid picking, destroying, damaging or removing plants of any species and kind, or parts of them. They also advise against touching or eating plants that may be poisonous.

• Photograph flowers without trampling the milk-vetch and broom cushions.
• Stay on the paths at high altitude, where plants grow slowly.
• Do not take away bulbs, seeds or cones.
• Report any damage to the Park Authority.

Before heading up for the flowers check the weather at Piano Battaglia. For the other park rules there is the guide to the Madonie Park.