The vegetation of Etna Park is influenced by the volcanic nature of the mountain. The soil is here very compact and there are continuous changes in the substrate due to different lava flows, there are also variations in temperature and rainfall in relation to altitude and slopes. In fact, the Park flora is extremely rich and varied, and shapes the landscape with its continuous changes. In the lower areas, once characterized by holm oak forests, there are vineyards, hazelnut tree groves, oak forests, apple and chestnut tree orchards. At 2,000m over the sea or even higher, it is possible to find the beech tree, reaching in Sicily its southernmost distribution limit, and the birch, considered by most of the authors an endemic species.
Beyond the woodlands, the landscape changes and gives way to astragalus formations and other mountain plants, like senecio, violets, and cerastium. Between 2,450 and 3,000m asl, there are a very few elements able to survive in the harsh environmental conditions of Mt. Etna. Beyond this level and up to the summit, no vegetable species can survive.
Nature
The Alcantara Park
Etna
Points of interest
Vegetation
Activities