This species with a wide circumboreal distribution is present, with four subspecies, in all regions of Italy. The subsp. amporitana is known with certainty from Lombardy, Tuscany, Sardinia and Sicily. It grows in ditches, ephemeral pools, wet sandy fields, from sea level to the alpine belt; the species was more common in the past, and today is in strong decline. It is common in the outer belt of the Sardinian temporary ponds. The genus is dedicated to the Italian botanist Lorenzo Gaetano Monti (1712-1797); the species name refers to the habitat, while the name of the subspecies refers to the ancient Catalan town of Ampurias (Gerona). Flowering period: April to August. |