The Ligurian Alps constitute the main centre of vegetal diversity of the Alpine chain: an extraordinary reality established by particular geographical position among Alpine summits and Mediterranean influences and by the combination of big climatic events during the glacial and interglacial phases, which brought species of North European, Siberian and Mediterranean origin on the Ligurian Alps. The result is the presence of a very original flora with antique and exclusive species.

The Ligurian Alps are an exclusive distributional  area of some species from the Tertiary geological period, like the Phyteuma cordatum and Helianthemum Iunulatum. Very antique species are present like the Ballota frutescens and Convolvulus sabatius and glacial relicts like Saxifraga cernua. Very famous the "lady's slippers", (Cypripedium calceolus), orchid of the Italian flora with its most important site in the Pesio Valley of the entire Italian western Alpine arc,  where it grows numerous. On the rocks and on the carbonate drifts we can find Silene campanula, Micromeria marginata, Phyteuma cordatum, Saxifraga cochlearis, Primula marginata, Thymelea dioica, Moehringia lebrunii, the very rare Euphorbia valliniana and Ligusticum ferulaceum, Iberis nana and many others.

Important species grow also on the rocks and the silicate drifts (porphyroids) like the Senecio persoonii and Potentilla valderia.