This Mediterranean maquis has been reproduced on a gentle slope, as if from the interior it degraded towards the sea. It mainly hosts sclerophyllous species (i.e. evergreen trees and shrubs that have the ability to cope with summer aridity) with a compact foliage and small, tough, stiff and leathery leaves. It includes many common species of the Italian coasts, such as Arbutus unedo L. (strawberry), Myrtus communis L. (myrtle), Pistacia lentiscus L. (mastic), Smilax aspera L. (rough bindweed ) and, first of all, Quercus ilex L. (holm oak), a species characteristic of our coastal flora.

In the lower part there is an imaginary coastal dune, characteristic of central Italy, with psammophilous species (‘psammos’ = beach), typical of the beach. The reconstruction of this environment was the aim of a PhD project carried out at the Germplasm Bank. Whole plants, and seeds were collected from the coasts of Lazio and Tuscany: plants were transferred directly from the dune to the Botanical Gardens while seeds were cleaned and stored at the Germplasm Bank of Tuscia and then used for seeding both in pots under controlled conditions and directly at the dune. These different techniques were aimed at assessing the best option for the reproduction of a psammophilous plant community ex situ.

Among the species there are: Pancratium maritimum L. (sea daffodil), Plantago coronopus L. (buck’s-horn plantain), Echinophora spinosa L. (sea fennel), Convolvulus soldanella L., Medicago marina L. (coastal medick), Euphorbia paralias L. (sea spurge), Ononis variegata L., Centaurea sphaerocephala L. (sand cornflower), Calamagrostis arenaria (L.) Roth subsp. arundinacea (Husn.) Banfi, Galasso & Bartolucci, Silene colorata Poin. (colored catchfly), as well as Crucianella maritima L. and Marcus-kochia littorea (L.) Al-Shehbazwhich are both at risk of extinction. Many are the adaptations to aridity and heat, such as the presence of fleshy parts that act as a reservoir of water, a thick hair (ie. coastal medick) or small and leathery leaves (ie. buckthorn fennel) to limit water loss through transpiration, and a well-developed root system growing in depth to avoid high surface temperatures (ie. sand lily). Finally, some species prefer to escape the stress completing their life cycle in the short winter and spring time, when the rain is more frequent and temperatures are lower (i.e. Silene colorata Poir.).