Ticino's botanical treasures

There are more botanical rarities to be found here than one might think.

Botanical excellences

Ticino is the only canton south of the Alps and is home to several unexpected botanical excellences. They are characteristic of its Mediterranean environment, more frequent than in other locations, or even unique! Thanks to the mild climate, the territory is home to various plant species, some of them extremely rare and protected. Knowing them is important in order to safeguard them. Plant care is a precious art and there is no lack of specialised centres that recover, study and preserve ancient plant varieties throughout the territory.

Forest reserves in Ticino

19
Parks and gardens

+60
Lodano Valley's ancient beech woods

UNESCO
The Christmas Rose

The Christmas Rose

The diameter of the white or dark pink flowers ranges from 5 to 8 centimetres. The plant with its evergreen leaves flowers in the winter months from December to March. It only grows in the Sottoceneri region up to a maximum of 1,000 m, preferring hornbeam, beech and oak forests. Nature expresses all its perseverance in this delicate flower. It blooms with only a few rays of sunlight and even in harsh winters manages to emerge from the snow cover. Moreover, it is a source of nectar for beetles in search of food in the winter months. Those who climb to the top of Monte Caslano find it in the undergrowth already in December and the first months of the year.

Wild growing Orchids

Wild growing Orchids

About 75% of all orchid species in Switzerland also grow in Ticino.
Delicate plants of rare beauty, orchids are protected throughout Switzerland. There are more than 30 species in the Blenio Valley. The Blenio Valley is a unique natural park, and also rich in historical and cultural heritage, also known as the Sun Valley. In early summer, these fragile flowers bloom on sun-drenched meadows. As in the rest of Switzerland, they should be admired from a distance and protected in Ticino.

Camellia Park Locarno

  • Locarno

Camellia Park Locarno

The city of Locarno already had a place at a short distance of the lake where a big variety of several hundred camellias were growing. Due to the great success that the Camelie Locarno event enjoyed year after year among an ever-growing public, it decided in 2005 to dedicate an entire park to the much-loved flower symbol of spring. Today it covers an area of 15,000 square metres and is home to 1,100 different varieties of camellias divided into 40 species.

The chestnut: Ticino's symbolic tree

Did you know that in the Mendrisiotto area’s characteristic age-old chestnut trees, with their huge trunks, can be seen near the grotto at the Brusino Alp?