Search

A new species from Sardinia occurring on the Gennargentu massif, Ruta lamarmorae (Rutaceae), is described and illustrated. Its relationships with R. corsica, a species widespread in the Corsican mountains, are examined.

The orophilous dwarf shrub vegetation dominated by pulvinate (often thorny) chamaephytes occurring in the Sila Massif (S Italy) is investigated. This vegetation is localized in the mountain belt between 1100 and 1900 m of altitude, and is characterized by numerous endemics exclusive of this territory or circumscribed to S Italy and Sicily. Basing on multivariate analysis, four groups of relevés can be distinguished, corresponding to four plant communities well differentiated from the floristic, ecological and structural point of view. They are proposed as new associations (Astragaletum calabrici, Plantagini serpentinae-Chamaecytisetum spinescentis, Festuco microphyllae-Genistetum silanae, Armerio-Potentilletum calabrae potentilletosum and seselietosum peucedanoidis), included in a new alliance Koelerio-Astragalion calabrici. These communities show close floristic relations with the orophilous shrubby vegetation of Sicily belonging to the class Rumici-Astragaletea siculi (= Cerastio-Carlinetea nebrodensis), while the hypothesis claimed by other authors to refer them to the basiphilous class FestucoBrometea is not acceptable, since there are neither floristic nor ecological similarities. In particular, the Sila communities are closer to those ones of the Aspromonte Massif and have been grouped in the order Anthemidetalia calabricae, endemic of the Calabrian Apennine.

AbstractFive Greek endemic species of Allium (A. meteoricum, A. parnassicum, A. pilosum, A. luteolumand A. frigidum)are examined. The study, based on field and herbarium investigations, allowed to better define the morphology, karyology and chorology of these critical taxa as well as their relationships.

The results of a bio-climatic study regarding the Sicilian territory is given. On the basis of thermometric and pluviometric data, some indexes proposed by Rivas-Martinez have been produced for 61 localities of the island. In particular, the indexes utilized for the bio-climatic classification are the following: It (index of thermicity), Iov (ombro-thermic index) and Iovc (compensated ombro-thermic index). Besides, for the individuation and delimitation of the bio-climatic belts and relative thermo-types and ombro-types other data, as average annual temperatures, average annual precipitation, geomorphology and relative climax vegetation, have been considered. On the whole, the bio-climatic belts occurring in Sicily are: inframediterranean, thermomediterranean, mesomediterranean, supramediterranean, oromediterranean and crioromediterranean. The correlations between the vegetation and bio-climate are examined too.

ABSTRACTAllium rhodopeum, a critical species of the E Mediterranean flora, was investigated from a taxonomic, karyological and chorological point of view. It belongs to A.sect. Codonoprasumand shows close relationship with the A. paniculatumgroup. Its chromosome complement is diploid with 2n= 16, with metacentric chromosomes. The species consists of subsp. rhodopeumfrom Bulgaria and Greece and subsp. turcicum, new to science, from NW Turkey and NE Greece.