Bergamo Wall Plants - Sedum album and Sedum dasyphyllum

Left: Photo of Sedum dasyphyllum on a wall in Bergamo.
Center: Photo of Sedum dasyphyllum and Sedum album in bloom on a wall in Bergamo.
Right: Nestled in a wall, Madonna della borraccina, the protector of sedum.

Both of these Bergamo Wall Plants ™ plants are part of the genus Sedum, commonly referred to as stonecrop. Stonecrops are in the family Crassulaceae, also known as the stonecrop or orpine family.

Sedum album – White Stonecrop – has alternate, fleshy leaves that are nearly cylindrical with rounded tips. The Italian name for S. album is borraccina bianca. Its flowers are in a corymb structure.

Sedum dasyphyllum - Thick-leaved Stonecrop or Corsican Stonecrop – has opposite gray-green leaves, often tinged pink. This stonecrop's leaves are more plump-looking compared to S. album. The Italian common name for S. dasyphllum is borracina cenerina. Both of these sedums found in hot, dry locations on walls with good sun exposure. Often they are growing next to each other as shown in some of the photos here.

The etymology for these plants as follows. Sedum is from the Latin sedum meaning "houseleek" as least as far as Wikitionary is concerned. Sempervivum tectorum – Common Houseleek – is also in the Crassulaceae family. Another possible etymology we found interesting because of its reflection on the Italian language is given in the Italian Wikipedia page for Sedum album. The entry claims that sedum comes from the the Latin verb to sit, sedeo, "I sit". In Italian it's io mi siedo. The connection is the way the stems lay down or sit. (Sedere – to sit – is one of the verbs in Italian that throws an I in during conjugations: siedo, siedi, siede, sediamo, sedete, siedono.) Who knows for sure what the exact etymology is, but we won't forget the conjugation of this verb.

Continuing: Album is "white". Dasyphyllum – according to dryades.it – comes from the Greek dasýs meaning "hairy" e phýllon meaning leaf. If you look closely, sure enough there are hairs.

A list of our wall plants of Bergamo thus far:

• [Papavero] Fumaria officinalis (post) – Earth Smoke
• [Brassicaceae] Aubrieta deltoidea - Purple Rock Cress and Iberis sempervirens - Evergreen Candytuft (post)
• [Geraniaceae] Geranium robertianum (post) - Stinking Bob
• [Asteraceae] Erigeron karvinskianus (post) - Mexican Fleabane
• [Aspleniaceae] Asplenium ceterach (post) - Rustyback Fern
• [Aspleniaceae] Asplenium ruta-muraria (post) - Wall Rue
• [Aspleniaceae] Asplenium trichomanes (post) - Maidenhair spleenwort
• [Urticaceae] Parietaria diffusa (post) – Pellitory
• [Plantaginaceae] Cymbalaria muralis (post) - Pennywort

Left: A wall on Via Fontana in Bergamo where many of the photos of sedum were taken.
Center and right: Sedum album on a wall.

Left: Sedum album and Sedum dasyphyllum.
Center and right: Sedum dasyphyllum.

Sedum album and Sedum dasyphyllum growing together on a wall in Bergamo.

Left: Sedum dasyphyllum in winter.
Right: Sedum daspyphyllum in spring with flowers.

Rained Out Monte Filaressa and Corna Bianca Hike

Overview | Notes | Flora | Trail Photos

Top left: A View of Canto Basso after the rain.
Top right: Annotated hike tracks from Bergamo to Monte di Nese.
Bottom left: Trail 533B with Anemone nemorosa.
Bottom right: Christmas rose with drops of water.

Overview

Length: 26 km (16.1 mi)
Duration: 8.5 hours (lots of stops)
Elevation: (1347 m) 4418 ft
Location: Italy, Lombardy, Parco dei Colli, Alzano Lombardo

Notes

We tried to reach Monte Filaressa from Bergamo today and just shy of 20 minutes from the summit, a storm rolled in and we ran for the cover. It's not the destination but the journey, right? We'll be back!

We've passed by or through Monte di Nese many times, including on these hikes:

• Hike from Beramo to Le Buche di Nese
• Roundtrip Bergamo to Selvino on Foot, Cable Car, Bus, and Tram
• A Short Hike from Maresana to Monte di Nese
• Nembro to Bergamo Hike (via Parco dei Colli di Bergamo)
• A Hike from Maresana to Selvino

Yet, in all these times, we passed under Monte Filaressa (1134 m), which sits just northeast of Monte di Nese. Today was to be our day to pass up over Monte Filaressa and continue on to Corna Bianca (1228 m) – not that we are peak baggers or anything, but we were just looking for something different. However, today wasn't going to be the day to do that.

In an exposed saddle, just below Monte Filaressa, and on the border between Valle Brembana and Valle Seriana, a storm blew in quickly. Feeling vulnerable to hail, rain, wind and lightening, we beat a path to a lower location to wait out the storm under the eaves of a stone structure. (A structure without ample eaves is like an ill-fitting hat.)

We wait for about ½ hour and then decided to head home instead of continuing on. As we approached the trails around Canto Basso the white bark of birch, carpets of anemone laden with dewdrops, and the sounds of far-off thunder created an magical atmosphere that was worth getting completely soaked over. And, on the way back to Bergamo, we discovered some new trails around Ca' Matta near Maresana. So on the whole, not a bad day.

Flora

Many of the resources we use for plant indentification are listed in our post Resources for Identifying Plants around Bergamo. We especially rely on the Checklist flora (for the Lombardy region) to see if the altitude we spotted the plant and the season of bloom are correct. Then, we double check in the half dozen guide books we have. In particular, the Gruppo Flora Alpina Bergamasca have a series of really useful books.

We give identifications in this form:

[Family] Genus species – Common name in English {Common name in Italian}

We are adamant about being familiar with families of plants as a base. Once you can start telling families by sight, then identification gets much easier. We were inspired back in 2012 by the book Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification (1996) by Thomas J Elpel. In this book, Elpel teaches you how to use the patterns method of plant identification to identify families of plants.

For families, we estimate that we are > 99% accurate with identification. For genera and species, 95% and 90%, respectively.


[Adoxaceae] Viburnum lantana – Wayfaring tree {Viburno lantana}
[Boraginaceae] Pulmonaria australis - Lungwort {Polmonaria sudalpina}
[Lamiaceae] Clinopodium sp. likely C. methifolium – Wood calamint {Mentuccia maggiore}
[Lamiaceae] Melittis melissophyllum – Bastard balm {Erba limona}
[Lauraceae] Lauris nobilis – Sweet Bay {Alloro}
[Liliaceae] Erythroninum dens-canis – Dog's-tooth-violet or Dogtooth violet {Dente di cane}
[Plantaginaceae] Globularlia nudicaulis – Leafless stemmed Globularia {Vedovelle alpine}
[Primulaceae] Primula veris – Cowslip primrose {Primula odorosa}
[Primulaceae] Primula vulgaris – Primrose {Primula comune}
[Ranunculaceae] Anemonoides nemorosa – Wood anemone {Anemone dei boschi}
[Ranunculaceae] Helleborus niger – Christmas rose {Rosa di Natale}
[Ranunculaceae] Anenome hepatica – Liverwort {Epatica erba trinità}
[Rosaceae] Crataegus monogyna - Whitethorn {Biancospino comune}
[Thymelaeaceae] Daphne cneorum – Garland flower {Dafne odorosa}

[Adoxaceae] Viburnum lantana – Wayfaring tree


[Boraginaceae] Pulmonaria australis - Lungwort


[Lamiaceae] Melittis melissophyllum – Bastard balm

[Lamiaceae] Melittis melissophyllum – Bastard balm


[Primulaceae] Primula veris – Cowslip primrose

[Thymelaeaceae] Daphne cneorum – Garland flower



Left: [Primulaceae] Primula vulgaris – Primrose
Right: [Ranunculaceae] Anenome hepatica – Liverwort

[Liliaceae] Erythroninum dens-canis – Dog's-tooth-violet or Dogtooth violet

Left: [Ranunculaceae] Anemonoides nemorosa – Wood anemone
Center: [Plantaginaceae] Globularlia nudicaulis – Leafless stemmed Globularia
Left: [Lamiaceae] Clinopodium sp. likely C. methifolium – Wood calamint

Trail Photos

Left: Hike tracks from Bergamo to Monte di Nese.
Right: Above Ca' Matta - Maresana.

Left: Canto Basso with Canto Alto in the distance.
Center: Canto Basso on trail 533 heading to Monte di Nese.
Right: Above Monte di Nese.

Left: Croce dei morti, Maresana.
Center: The trail above Via alla Zarda.
Right: The trail leading to Via Col di Lana.


Left: A view of Olera.
Center: The flanks of Monte Filaressa with white birch.
Right: Our shelter during the storm, the eaves that is. Thank you for the ample overhang!

A Sunday Walk in La Valle d'Astino

Upper left: Looking over a tilled field and view toward Monastero d'Astino.
Upper right: View toward Madonna del Bosco, a small hamlet northwest of Bergamo.
Lower left: A scarecrow advertises Ortinsema - a project of shared gardening.
Lower right: Rows of Prunus trees in the Valle d'Astino.

Overview

Length: ~ 11 km (6.8 miles)
Duration: ~2.5 hours
Elevation: gain 410 m (1,345 ft), max elevation at 460 m (1,510 ft) San Vigilio
Location: Italy, Lombardy, Bergamo

Notes

The Astino Valley (La Valle d'Astino) is a small valley in the Bergamo hills and a favorite walking spot of the locals. Today, we got a ride to Astino with a friend and explored the Laudato Si trail and then headed back home on foot. You can catch a bus to the start of the valley (10 bus from to Loreto/Longuelo e.g.) and do the same. Or, if you are staying the upper city, just walk to the valley, following via Sudorno to via Astino.

The valley contains the Astino Abbey (founded 1070) and associated church, Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro. In "normal" times, i.e., non-pandemic, the monastery is a place of art exhibitions and summer dining in the open. (And it will be again.) Across the street from the monastery there is the Valle della Biodiversità – Sez. di Astino dell'Orto Botanico di Bergamo, a gardening area and performance venue set into the hill. During late summer you can buy vegetables grown in the garden, see a performance, or just enjoy the view.

The Valle d'Astino recently was announced the winner of the Premio Nazionale del Paesaggio, or the "National Landscape Award" for 2021. What does this mean? Glad you asked. Well, we have to start with the Council of Europe's landscape award. The Council of Europe (distinct from the European Union) landscape award "is intended to raise civil society’s awareness of the value of landscapes, of their role and of changes to them." (ref) Since 2007, the Council of Europe award has been given every two years to parties to the European Landscape Convention, such as Italy. Italy's award (Premio del Nazionale del Paesaggio  that Astino won) is a feeder for candidates for the Council of Europe's award.

Today's objective was to re-explore the Laudato Si trail with our friend. We had passed by this way back in November as describe in our post A Walk from Bergamo to Monte Gussa. In that post, we went "high" and followed trails to Monte Gussa. Today's walk, we stay low and follow the road (more like a country lane) called Via Castello Presati.



Left: [Lamiaceae] Lamium purpureum - Purple Deadnettle in the fields of Astino.
Center left: [Ranunculaceae] Ficaria verna - Fig Buttercup, Lesser Celandine.
Center right: Prunus sp. blossom.
Right: Sign explaining a project to plant flax (Linum usitatissimum) and cannabis (Cannabis sativa) for textile use.


Left and center left: An old church - structure and door detail on Via Castello Presati.
Center right: A horse and carriage on Via Castello Presati.
Right: Chiesa Madonna del Bosco.

Plowed fields in Valle d'Astino.



Left and center: The trail / stairs named Scalinata Moratelli. This is a fun way to enter or leave the Astino valley.
Right: The tracks on ViewRanger.