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A taxonomic account of the Centaurea parlatoris complex (Asteraceae), endemic to Sicily, is presented. This complex includes six taxa, three described in the 19th century (C. parlatoris, C. parlatoris var. tomentosa and C. parlatoris var. virescens) and three recently described (C. sicana, C. giardinae and C. heywoodiana). Starting from the designation of the types for the oldest plant names that have not been typified yet, taxonomic considerations are formulated and C. parlatoris var. virescens is elevated to the rank of species. An identification key and a distribution map complete this account.

The taxonomic relationships between Orobanche australis and O. thapsoides are analyzed through the study of the original material. These species are also compared with other morphologically similar ones occurring in the Mediterranean (O. canescens, O. pubescens, O. palaestina, O. amethystea). The lectotype of O. palaestina is designated. From the comparison of these taxa it is evident that O. australis and O. thapsoides refer to the same taxon, to which the name O. australis must be given by priority. The distribution of this species includes Sardinia, Sicily, Peninsular Italy and Southern France. It grows on pastures from the sea level to about 1000 m of altitude, host of Asteraceae. An identification key between the species considered and a distribution map is provided.

Asperula rupestris Tineo (1827: 276) is a species endemic to Sicily, southern Italy. It is a chasmophyte growing on northexposed calcareous rocks and cliffs of the main promontories of NW Sicily and the islands of Favignana and Marettimo, Egadi Islands, NW of Siciliy (see e.g., Giardina et al. 2007).A nomenclatural study of Asperula rupestris (Rubiaceae, tribe Rubieae) revealed that this name has not yet been typified (Peruzzi et al. 2015). The present paper is part of ongoing research on the names of vascular plants described using specimens collected in Sicily (e.g., Di Gristina et al. 2012, 2016, 2017, 2020; Domina et al. 2014, 2016, 2017a, 2017b; Scafidi & Domina 2019; Scafidi et al. 2020; Traclet et al. 2017). This investigation contributes to the project of the Floristic Group of the Italian Botanical Society to typify all taxa described from Italy, in order to increase their systematic knowledge and promote further studies (Domina et al. 2012; Peruzzi et al. 2015, 2019; Brundu et al. 2017).

The name Galatella sorrentinoi Todaro (Asteraceae) is lectotypified with a specimen housed in the Herbarium Mediterraneum Panormitanum (PAL). The specimen selected as the lectotype agrees with protologue and with the current usage of the name.

A new species of Capparis, C. florida, is described and illustrated from the Hin Nam No National Protected Area, Khammouan Province in central Lao PDR. The new species, collected in forest habitats of the Khammouan karst, belongs to sect. Monostichocalyx. It is an erect shrub characterized by the widely ovate or elliptical leaf-blade, by the flowers serial in supra-axillary rows, and by the slender ovary with evident style. Its affinities with related taxa, such as the widespread C. micracantha, are discussed and its conservation status assessed.

As part of an ongoing study on the names of vascular plants described from Sicily, a nomenclature study of the name Eryngium siculum Lojacono-Pojero (Apiaceae Lindl.), which appears to be yet untypified, is here presented.

As part of an ongoing project for the investigation of the Algerian-Tunisian flora, six names of species of Caprifoliaceae subfam. Dipsacaceae, endemic to central and western North Africa, described in the 19th and 20th Centuries under the genus Scabiosa, are here lectotypified. They are: Scabiosa camelorum Cosson & Durieu, Scabiosa cartenniana Pons & Quézel, Scabiosa daucoides Desf., Scabiosa farinosa Cosson, Scabiosa parielii Maire, and Scabiosa robertii Barratte. Taxonomic notes, distributisson and new unpublished data about plant phenology of these taxa are given.

A new endemic taxon of Hieracium belonging to the H. racemosum aggregate is described from Basilicata (southern Italy) and named H. racemosum subsp. lucanum. Information on its morphology, distribution, ecology and taxonomic relationship is provided.

The census of the loci classici of 1,227 native, non-endemic vascular plants described from Italy is here presented and described. The effective place of publication of accepted names, basionyms and homotypic synonyms were identified and critically verified. The geographic information on the loci classici was excerpted from the protologues, as well as information on typification for the taxa described before 1 January 1958. The names without a holotype are 1,165. For 591 names a lecto- or neo-typification is available in literature, while 572 currently accepted taxa still need a type designation. For ten of these names showing previous ineffective typification, nomenclatural types are designated here ( Allium savii , A. tenuiflorum , Anemone millefoliata , Catapodium tuberculosum , Cynosurus siculus , Filago congesta , Saponaria bellidifolia , Sclerochloa patens , S. zwierleinii , and Vicia leucantha ). A new combination ( Trisetaria aurea comb. nov. ) is proposed. The general picture of the currently accepted taxa of vascular plants described from Italy, including endemics, amounts to 2,631, i.e. about 32% of the native flora currently recorded for the country.

As part of an ongoing study on the names of vascular plants described from Sicily (Southern Italy), a nomenclature investigation on the name Lavatera agrigentina Tineo, basionym of Malva agrigentina (Tineo) Soldano, Banfi & Galasso in Banfi et al., which appears to be yet untypified, is here presented.

A new hawkweed taxon endemic to the Pollino National Park (southern Italy), Hieracium jurassicum subsp. serrapretense, is described and illustrated. Information on its morphology, distribution, ecology and taxonomic relationship is provided.

Allium istanbulense, a new species of Allium sect. Codonoprasum, is described and illustrated from Istanbul surroundings (European Turkey). It is a late-flowering diploid species (2n = 16), occurring in the undergrowth of oak or pine woods mainly on sandy or incoherent soils. Its morphology, karyology, leaf anatomy, seed micromorphology, ecology, conservation status and taxonomic relationships are examined. A taxonomic comparison with the most allied late flowering species of sect. Codonoprasum and identification keys of the group are also provided.

This research was carried out to better define the pollen, fruit and seed morphology of Ambrosina bassii , the only species of this rare Mediterranean endemic genus. Pollen traits were already known, but here we investigated on their variability in distant populations and in different morphotypes (‘varieties’). Fruit and seed traits were almost unknown, also because of the rarity of fruit-set in this species. The surface features of pollen, fruit and seed, as well as length, width and length/width ratio, were analysed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Comparative observations were made also on Arisarum vulgare , since Arisarum is the closest genus. The principal component analysis of the Ambrosina pollen traits highlighted a separation of the different varieties and populations. As regards the surface features, the ornamentation of Ambrosina pollen is predominantly striate while in A. vulgare is striate-foveolate. The fruit of Ambrosina is a dry globose capsule showing stomata, not observed in the A. vulgare fruit. The seed is strophiolated with a reticulate surface. The results are discussed in comparison with previous observations and with morphological evolutionary patterns in the Araceae.

Inocybe castaneicolor sp. nov., collected in Sicily (Italy), is introduced with full description, line drawings, and color pho- tographs. Its novelty is supported by both its morphology and molecular phylogenetic analysis. It is characterized by its castaneous brown pileus with an evident umbo and sloped margin, subfusiform cystidia and smooth subamygdaliformis to subnavicular spores. Comparison of I. castaneicolor with similar species is also provided.

The present contribution is part of an ongoing project for the investigation of the Algerian-Tunisian Flora (see e.g., El Mokni et al. 2014, 2015a, 2015b, 2015c; El Mokni & Iamonico 2018, El Mokni & Domina 2019). Special attention is dedicated to the endemic component of this flora and its type localities (loci classici), that are considered a rich source of biogeographical information (Brundu et al. 2015).

To better understand the phylogeny of Isoetes species in the Mediterranean region, sequences of the second intron of a LFY-like homolog were determined for six populations of three Mediterranean Isoetes species and analyzed with other LFY and ITS sequences of Euro-Mediterranean species available in GenBank. Nomenclature of selected species was updated according to recent literature. Investigations of voucher specimens from previously sequenced taxa revealed that a specimen of I. histrix from Crete, Greece used in several previous molecular studies is probably I. phrygia. Analysis of the limited LFY and ITS DNA sequence data presented here agrees with the organization of Mediterranean species into three groups as suggested by worldwide phylogenies of the genus: first, an older group, including I. longissima, I. histrix, I. durieui, I. libanotica and similar species in addition to other probably “Laurasian” species; second, an intermediate endemic relict group, including only I. malinverniana and I. anatolica; and third a younger group, including the Mediterranean I. delilei, I. phrygia and I. todaroana, along with the widely-distributed I. echinospora and I. lacustris and other species. Preliminary remarks on the evolution and biogeography of the genus in the Mediterranean region are presented.

Ferula melitensis, a new species from the Malta Archipelago, is described and illustrated. It belongs to the taxonomic group of F. communis, showing close relationships mainly with F. tunetana, F. arrigonii, F. communis s.str. and F. glauca, from which it differs in several features regarding the stem, leaves (mainly for shape and size of terminal segments), flowers and mericarps; other significant differences regard the ecology and phenology. The investigations, carried out on living plants, herbarium material and literature data, regard the morphological analysis of vegetative and reproductive structures, the anatomy of terminal leaf segments and mericarps, as well as the shape and size of seedlings. Previous phylogenetic approaches, based on nuclear and plastidial genome, have allowed to clarify better the relationships among F. melitensis and the other species of this group.

Hieracium nebrodense Tineo ex Lojac., a little-known endemic of Sicily, has been rediscovered from the type locality after almost two centuries since its first and only collection made in 1830 in the Madonie Mountains (N Sicily). In line with the treatment in ‘Med-Checklist 2’, it is reclassified as a subspecies of H. schmidtii. A new combination is made and a detailed description and illustration are provided.

Isoetes is a widely distributed lycophyte genus of at least 200 species occurring in diverse habitats. The species can be difficult to identify because Isoetes, with its apparent simplicity of form and conserved morphology, provides few diagnostic features to reliably distinguish its species. The last worldwide monograph, published nearly a century ago, listed 77 taxa. The first step in producing a flora or monograph of all known species of a genus is to compile a list of the acceptable species names. The list presented here is a compilation of 192 accepted names representing taxa from regions around the world: chromosome numbers were assigned to 101 of them, with polyploidy settled on 46.7%. Distribution mapping of the accepted species indicates that South America is the center of diversity for Isoetes and species diversity is the highest in temperate regions. Many of the species on this list are rare and have limited ranges. The list of taxa can be used to initiate floristic studies and conservation efforts in keeping with the target goals of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

As part of the ongoing studies on the genus Polycarpon Linnaeus (1759: 859, 881) (see e.g., Iamonico 2015a, 2015b, 2015c, Iamonico & Domina 2015), and on the Italian loci classici (see e.g., Peruzzi et al. 2015, Brundu et al. 2015, Domina et al. 2016, Di Gristina et al. 2017, Domina et al. 2017, 2018a, 2018b), we present here a note regarding Hagaea alsinifolia Bivona-Bernardi (1815: 7–8) [currently accepted (see Bartolucci et al. 2018) as Polycarpon tetraphyllum Linnaeus (1759: 881) subsp. alsinifolium (Biv.) Ball (1877: 370)].

Our taxonomic and nomenclatural research reveals that the name ‘Carex laxula Tineo ex Boott’ (section Sylvaticae) has not been validly published. Consequently, the oldest available name for the species is Carex paui Sennen. A lectotype for the valid name Carex sylvatica var. laxula Tineo ex Guss. is here designated.

The present contribution is part of the ongoing work promoted by the Italian Botanical Society aimed at recognizing and typifying all the taxa described from Italy and their loci classici, in order to increase their systematic knowledge and promote further studies (Domina et al. 2012, Peruzzi et al. 2015, Brundu et al. 2017). One of these taxa is Erodium soluntinum Todaro (1869: 36), a species belonging to Geraniaceae and considered an Italian endemic (Conti et al. 2005, Peruzzi et al. 2014, 2015). This name, as far as we are aware, is not yet typified.

A new species from Montevergine in Campania, Hieracium barrelieri, is described in detail. It is closest to H. acanthodontoides of H. sect. Acanthodontoidea. H. murorum var. barrelieri, an obsolete taxon described by Tenore, is also discussed, as it was partly based on the same population.

Allium nazarenum, a new species of A. sect. Codonoprasum, is described and illustrated from Israel. Within this species, two well distinct subspecies have been recognized, represented by the subsp. nazarenum and subsp. ramonense respectively. The first one occurs in northern and central Israel, which falls within the Mediterranean bioclimate, while the second one is circumscribed to the Negev desert. Both taxa are diploid with 2n = 16 and are found on various substrata usually in the batha or steppic plant communities. This species shows close relationships with the species belonging to the A. staticiforme group, from which it differs in several relevant diacritic features. Its morphology, karyology, leaf anatomy, ecology, conservation status and taxonomical relationships are examined.

A new species of Capparis, C. parvifolia, is described and illustrated from New Caledonia, where it is known from a few localities on Mont Kaala on ultramafic substrata. The new species is characterized by the relatively small, linear leaf-blade and by the small size of the sepals, petals, stamens, gynophore and fruit. Its affinities with related taxa are discussed and its conservation status assessed.

This article presents new records of water-starworts (Callitriche sp. pl.) from the Mediterranean basin, resulting from review of herbarium specimens and field work. Callitriche brutia var. naftolskyi is stated as a new combination and confirmed from Greece (Lesvos and Milos), Israel, Italy (Sardinia and Sicily), Libya, Morocco and Syria; C. lusitanica from Greece (Lesvos), Israel and Italy (Sardinia and Sicily); C. brutia var. brutia has been known from Greece for some time but is confirmed from Lesvos and Milos; C. obtusangula and C. truncata subsp. truncata are both confirmed from Sardinia and Sicily, while the latter is also confirmed from Syria. Callitriche lenisulca and C. stagnalis are confirmed from Sardinia but records of the latter from Lesvos appear to be erroneous; C. truncata subsp. occidentalis is known from Lesvos but records from Sardinia and Sicily appear to be erroneous. Records of C. regis-jubae from Sardinia are probably misidentifications for C. brutia var. naftolskyi. Records of C. brutia var. hamulata from the region are likely to be erroneous. A recent find of the alien C. terrestris in Spain is the first record for that country and the second record for Europe.

The systematic relationships between the five different subspecies actually recognized within Dianthus rupicola (subsp. aeolicus , subsp. bocchorianus , subsp. hermaensis, subsp. lopadusanus and subsp. rupicola ), were assessed by means of morphometric and molecular analysis. Our results highlighted the molecular differences between the five subspecies of D. rupicola and a morphological differentiation of four groups being D. rupicola subsp. aeolicus and D. rupicola subsp. rupicola partly overlapping. At the present state of knowledge, a subspecific status seems the most appropriate for all the recognized subspecies of D. rupicola . The names D. aeolicus , D. bisignanii var. virescens , D. hermaeensis , D. rupicola are here lectotypified respectively on specimens preserved at PAL, NAP, P, and BOLO, while D. bisignanii s.str. is lectotypified on a Tenore’s image and a epitype (at K) is designated. Concerning the name D. rupicola subsp. bocchorianus the holotype is traced.

A revision of the Capparis spinosa group has been carried out in southern Europe, northern Africa, western and central Asia, in order to provide a uniform taxonomic treatment of its representatives. The xerotropical origin of this group, showing disjunct distribution in several holoarctic and paleotropical regions, is underlined and the different species concepts historically adopted are discussed. In the present treatment a single species is recognized, C. spinosa , represented in the study area by two subspecies. C. spinosa subsp. spinosa shows derived characters, high polymorphism and a wide distribution range from the Mediterranean eastwards to China and Nepal. C. spinosa subsp. rupestris , less variable and showing phenotypic characters closer to the tropical stock of the group, is recorded in the Mediterranean Region and the Sahara. On the basis of herbarium and field investigations, the variability and distribution of the two subspecies are examined. Within each subspecies some varieties are recognized, for which morphological, chorological and autecological data are presented. Four new combinations ( C. spinosa subsp. spinosa var. herbacea , C. spinosa subsp. spinosa var. atlantica , C. spinosa subsp. rupestris var. ovata , C. spinosa subsp. rupestris var. myrtifolia ) are proposed.

Psoralea palaestina is a critical and unappreciated species described from Palestinian territories, and currently treated as synonym of P. bituminosa, nowadays known as Bituminaria bituminosa. Nomenclatural investigations allowed to ascertain that it was validly described for the first time by Bassi (1768) and not by Gouan (1773), as previously thought. Extensive taxonomic investigations revealed that this very peculiar legume is morphologically well differentiated from the other allied known species. Therefore, it has to be properly treated at specific level and transferred to the genus Bituminaria, thus proposing a new combination: Bituminaria palaestina. Based on literature, herbarium and field data, this species occurs in some localities of the Middle East (e.g. Israel, Jordan and Lebanon) where it mainly grows in damp habitats (i.e. swamps, rivers, etc.), differing from other known species of Bituminaria for its ecological requirements. Diagnostic features, micro-morphology of pod and seed testa, pollen grains, ecology, conservation status, and chorology of this species are examined. Its chromosome number is reported. Furthermore, its relationships with the currently recognized species belonging to Bituminaria are considered, and an analytical key including all the species of this genus is provided.

A new hawkweed taxon from southern Italy, Hieracium hypochoeroides subsp. cilentanum, is described and illustrated. It is endemic to Monte Cervati (Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano, S Campania). Information on its ecology and taxonomic relationships is provided.

Nomenclatural and taxonomical considerations on Kali , a controversial genus recently segregated from the polyphyletic Salsola s. lat. ( Chenopodiaceae ), are provided. The Kali group includes annual plants with leaves ending in a spine and lacking hypodermis, having also a cortex alternate to longitudinal chlorenchymatous striae. The species belonging to this genus mainly have a paleotemperate distribution (Europe, Asia and North Africa), occurring as aliens in North America, Australia and South Africa. A new species collected on Mt. Etna (Sicily), and closely related to K. australe , is described and illustrated as K. basalticum Its morphological and molecular features, karyology (2n=54), ecology, distribution, phylogeny and conservation status are examined. In addition, a list of the currently known species of Kali is provided, with some new combinations: Kali nepalense (Grubov) comb. nov., Kali pellucidum (Litvinov) comb. nov., Kali sinkiangense (A.J. Li) comb. nov., Kali gobicolum (Iljin) comb. nov., and Kali ryanii (G.F. Hrusa & Gaskin) comb. nov.

Allium therinanthum, a new species of A. sect. Codonoprasum, is described and illustrated from southern Mt. Hermon (Israel). It is a late-flowering diploid species (2n = 16), growing on calcareous substrates of the mountain belt. It is a narrowly distributed geophyte, showing morphological relationships mainly with A. tardiflorum, a typical autumnal species also occurring in Israel within the pinewoods of Mt. Carmel. The morphology, karyology, leaf anatomy, ecology, conservation status and taxonomical relations are examined for both species. A taxonomic comparison with the most allied late flowering species of the sect. Codonoprasum is provided.