Vendicari as "a wet coastal area" is rich of water; such abundance of water is ecological reduced by the high percentage of the its salinity. So only the plants and animals able to get used to this high quantity of salt can live on here. They survive by either becoming alophite or succulent.
Another discriminating element is the texture of the soil where the plants are: it is either a rocky or a sandy one.
By
analysing the vegetation of a rocky area, going from the sea to inland,
we can find out what follows: after a short strip, where tides and waves
splush during sea storm, a narrow portion of alophile rocky vegetation
follows, in which Crithmum maritimum, Cicorium spinosum,
Limonium
syracusanum e L. virgatum.
Very close to the alophilous rocky strip, there is a narrow garrigue part made up of short bushes of Timus capitatus, Sarcopoterium spinosum, Chamaerops humilis, Thymelaea hirsuta, Teucrium fruticans, among which there is a great quantity of geophites such as the magic Mandragora autunnalis, the elegant Iris planifolia, a lot of wonderful orchids. Going to inlands this garrigue turns into an macchia mediterranea, an underbush with the predominance of Pistacia lentiscus, Olea europea sylvestris, Phyllirea angustifolia, Myrtus communis, Urginea maritima and the dwarf Palm (Chamaerops humilis).
Wen we analyze that part of the
coast which is sandy, we can find what follows: first there is the aphitotic 
area,
then an ephimeral psammophilous vegetation growing up both on the sand
and on organic remainings (branches, seaweeds, etc.) left behind by the
sea. The species are few but meaningful such as: Cakile maritima; Salsola
kali, Euphorbia peplis, Polygonum maritimum. Finally perennial psammophilous
associations follow; we can just mention: Agropyrum junceum mediterraneum,
Sporobolus arenarius, Eryngium maritimum, Echinophora spinosa, Cyperus
callii, Cutandia maritima, Ammophila arenaria arundinacea, Medicago marina,
Larenea resedifolia, Pancratium maritimum. Farther from the sea , beyond
these forms of vegetation, there is a pecular "macchia mediterranea" of
Juniperus
macrocarpa, together with Ephedra fragilis, Pistacia lentiscus,
Phyllirea angustifolia, Clematis cirrhosa, Rosmarinus officinalis,
etc.
As
we move on from the sea and approach the marshes, the vegetation becomes
higrophilous, though it is still alophilous and along the banks it looks
like wide meadowlands where we can find Salicornia fruticosa and
S.
radicantis, as well as Hyparrhenia hirta, Lotus edulis, Stipa retorta,
Trifolium stellatum, Iris sisyrinchium, Arthrocnemum glaucum, Juncus
subulatus, Limonium serotinum, Suaeda vera.
The central part of the marsh, for the most part of the year, is full of water, underneath it we can find some vegetation such as Ruppia maritima, Potamogeton pectinatus, Lamprothamnium papulosum.
Sheltered by the internal banks of the marshes there are Rushes, Sedges, Junks but above all Phragmites australis and arundo donax where water is fresh, the last one marks the border between the natural landscape prevails.
Within the Reserve there some exotic plants Agave sisalana, Acacia orrida, Eucaliptus, etc. introduced by man as windbreak or for ornamental purposes.
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