Mycological researches in beech woods in Western Ligurian Apennines, province of Savona (Italy)

A study of the mycological flora of the Western Ligurian Apennines beech woods was conducted in selected areas of the province of Savona, between the Cadibona pass and the Giovo pass. The average altitude is 700 meters above sea level and the climate is quite peculiar due to the presence of relatively high mountains very close to the sea. From a phytosociological point of view and despite the limited diversity of the flora, the woods were classed as featuring a Trochischanto-Fagetum association (Geranio nodosi-Fagion alliance). The study was carried out through eight years of observations on four plots measuring about 1 square km. Three hundred and two species (292 Basidiomycota and 10 Ascomycota) were collected, four of which as new to Liguria. A taxonomically arranged list of ail the species collected is reported in a table showing the abundance and the ecological group of each species, along with a fructification index of each genus. Finally, a comparison with other Italian and European beech woods is presented and discussed.