Biagio Bartalini’s Herbarium: an insight into the flora of Siena and its surroundings (Italy) during the eighteenth century

Abstract

Studying historical herbaria is invaluable for botanical research. This work analysed Biagio Bartalini's Herbarium, a late eighteenth-century multi-taxon collection from Siena and its surroundings (central Italy). We revised taxonomic identifications, updated nomenclature, digitised associated information, created a high-resolution photographic database, and uploaded the dataset on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) portal. The Herbarium includes 676 specimens of 588 species and infraspecific taxa: 567 vascular plants (474 taxa), 77 bryophytes (70 taxa), 29 lichens (27 taxa), one alga, and one fungus. Most of Bartalini's identifications were confirmed. Originally following Tournefort's nomenclature, Linnean names were also included in a catalogue. The past flora features many species of conservation concern, such as freshwater, segetal, and red-listed taxa, with few non-native species compared to current floras. Specimens were largely collected in urban and agricultural areas, within the city walls or in their surroundings. The analysis of the collection sites suggests significant environmental changes in the study area across the centuries, particularly habitat loss due to urbanisation. The Herbarium is among the earliest collections documenting regional biodiversity rather than focusing on medicinal plants. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of Bartalini's Herbarium, making it accessible to modern researchers, with the data now available online and freely accessible through the GBIF portal, and laying the groundwork for future multitemporal floristic studies