Old phenological data on wild plants in Italy (XIX and early XX century)

An overview of the oldest phenological data collected in Italy, for scientific purposes, with scientific criteria and methods, is presented. Following the example of Linnaeus, in the 19th century various Italian botanists such as Ottaviano Targioni, Teodoro Caruel, Alessandro Serpieri and Giuseppe Bertoloni, went on to create phenological calendars, with notes on the local climate and agricultural work. Besides, the earliest phenological network on both cultivated and wild plants was organized by Almerico Da Schio and Domenico Lampertico at the end of XIX century (1876-1884) in 16 localities of the Veneto and Emilia regions. The European Phenological Network founded by Hoffman and Ihne (1882) was joined by botanists working in the Italian Alps, like Wilhelm Pfaff, who was responsible for a very long series (1886-1933) of phenological records at Bolzano.