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“Manna” is the product obtained from the solidification of the elaborate sap that comes out of the incisions made during the summer season on the stem and on the main branches of some species of the genus Fraxinus (Oleaceae). The cultivation of manna ash trees dates back to ancient times in Sicily and elsewhere ash trees – known as sacred trees, a symbol of abundance and therefore auspicious – was increasingly widespread until the middle of the last century. Subsequently, however, the crop underwent a progressive decline, remaining relegated to restricted areas of Sicily, in particular in the Madonie district (Palermo, Italy). In this brief review, the essential characteristics of the manna and the ash trees from which it is extracted are summarized. The aspects of the current productivity of manna in the Sicilian territory and the implications of a potential recovery and increase of an ancient craft, ash tree cultivation, are also reported in a perspective of sustainable development and green economy for the Mediterranean area and beyond. Finally, the authors remember what has been done to ensure the conservation not only of the active cultivation of manna ash but also of all the relative agro-biodiversity. The conservation of the living germplasm of the ancient cultivars recovered in the Madonie area (Palermo, Sicily) represents one of the most qualifying results.

As part of a project aimed at investigating the Matthiola taxa endemic to Sicily (Italy), this study focused on Matthiola incana, an edible species used in the traditional medicine of various countries. Herein, the characterization of phenolic and volatile compounds, the antioxidant capacity in vitro (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), reducing power and Fe2+ chelating activity assays) and the toxicity test (Artemia salina lethality bioassay) of the hydroalcoholic extracts from the aerial parts of M. incana subsp. rupestris from Mt. Pellegrino (Palermo) and Mt. Erice (Trapani), and of M. incana subsp. pulchella are reported. The results are compared with those previously shown for M. incana subsp. incana, to achieve a comprehensive overview of the three subspecies. The HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS and SPME-GC/MS analyses led to the identification of 13 phenolics and 54 volatile compounds. Differences in the qualitative-quantitative profile of these phytochemicals have been highlighted between the M. incana subspecies. The antioxidant tests showed different activity for the extracts, which were found to possess better chelating properties. At last, none of the tested extracts displayed toxicity against brine shrimp larvae. These findings enrich the knowledge on the Matthiola taxa growing wild in Sicily, both from the strictly systematic point of view and for the possible applications as sources bioactive compounds that can be used in the nutraceutical field.

Kozuharova, E., Panayotov, M. & Spadaro, V.: Autecology and ex situ growth of Leontopodium nivale subsp. nivale (Asteraceae) from North Pirin marbles (SW Bulgaria). — Fl. Medit. 28: 187-206. 2018. — ISSN: 1120-4052 printed, 2240-4538 online. Leontopodium nivale subsp. nivale is a local and disjunct endemic of the central Apennines in Italy and the Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria. The aim of this study is to investigate in situ microhabitat specifics and ex situ ontogenesis regarding the possible future cultivation and to evaluate hazards for wild populations in conditions of human impact and climate change. Leontopodium nivale subsp. nivale is stenobiont which is difficult to grow ex situ and therefore particularly vulnerable. Its wild habitats and populations in Pirin Mts. should be efficiently protected. The results of our study indicate that the stenobiontic plants such as Leontopodium nivale subsp. nivale are particularly subject to hazard.

In a previous contribution (1) the finding in the wild of Clinopodium minae (Lojac.) Peruzzi & F.Conti [Bas. Calamintha minae Lojac.], a critical species close to Clinopodium corsicum (Pers.) Govaerts and well distinct from Clinopodium alpinum (L.) Kuntze subsp. nebrodense (A.Kern. & Strobl) Bartolucci & F.Conti was reported. It is a critical taxon, described by Lojacono, author of the most extensive work on the Sicilian flora (2) based on the examination of the collections of the Herbarium of Palermo (PAL!) (3). In the above cited note, the specific characters as well as the taxonomic relationships with other taxa were highlighted. At the same time, the location of a small population of C. minae on the northern slopes of the calcareous system of the Carbonara, the highest mountain of the Madonie (N Sicily), was reported. Starting from this first population, field surveys have been extended to other localities of the Madonie. These have also enabled us to find C. minae also on the western slopes of Monte Quacella that, named the "Sicilian Alps" by the same Lojacono, is the richest area in mostly endemic plant species, with respect to Sicily (4). In this context, C. minae occurs on consolidated dolomite debris, in semi-shaded places, from 1450 to 1700 m, at margins of larger communities at Juniperus communis subsp. hemisphaerica (J.Presl & C.Presl) Arcang. and Daphne oleoides Schreb., together with Odontarrhena nebrodensis (Tineo) L. Cecchi & Selvi subsp. nebrodensis, Clinopodium alpinum subsp. nebrodense, Anthemis arvensis subsp. sphacelata (C.Presl) R.Fern., Carlina nebrodensis DC., Centaurea parlatoris Heldr., Helianthemum cinereum subsp. rotundifolium (Dunal) Greuter & Burdet, H. oelandicum subsp. incanum (Willk.) G.López, Hypochoeris radicata L., Jurinea bocconei Guss., Laserpitium siler subsp. siculum (Spreng.) Santangelo, F.Conti & Gubellini, Linum punctatum C.Presl, Onosma echioides subsp. canescens (C.Presl) Peruzzi & N.G. Passal., Paeonia mascula (L.) Mill., Pilosella hoppeana subsp. sicula Di Grist., Gottschl. & Raimondo, Pimpinella tragium subsp. lithophila (Schischk.) Tutin, Orchis anthropophora (L) All., Sesleria nitida subsp. sicula Brullo & Giusso, Silene italica subsp. sicula (Ucria) Jeanm., Teucrium montanum L., Thymus striatus Vahl, and some grasses. Compared with the plants from the Carbonara Mount, the population of Quacella is much richer in individuals and shows an accentuated variability, not remarked in the taxonomic analysis by Lojacono. At present, however, based on the recently collected materials, C. minae occurs on both calcareous and dolomite substrates, above 1,450 m a.s.l. Based on the collections by A. Todaro housed in PAL! and in the course of field surveys, the authors do not exclude the possible occurrence of C. minae in other carbonatic reliefs in the province of Palermo.

Known as manna ashes, some local varieties of Fraxinus ornus L. and F. angustifolia Vahl (Oleaceae) are cultivated for extracting the manna, a product rich in mannose which is useful under both pharmaceutical and nutraceutical aspects. As wild plants in Sicily these ashes participate in diversifying evergreen and deciduous oak woods as well as other forest communities at the watercourse borders, together with several species of Salix, Populus and Ulmus, particularly in the hills. Cultivation of manna dates back to ancient times in Sicily and elsewhere and ash groves were increasingly spread up to the half of last century. Then, the culture had a progressive decline due to the abandonment of land and its gradual replacement by other crops. Most of the surface formerly occupied by ashes is now uncultivated and therefore also exposed to recurrent fires. As a consequence even the rich varietal heritage, documented by detailed monographs, went partially lost, although recently have not missed a revival of the local scientific community.In the face of the many thousands hectares occupied by these crops in the past, now residual plantations are confined in just a few hundred hectares in the territories of Castelbuono and Pollina (province of Palermo), in the northern side of the Madonie mountains. In this area the plant landscape had been strongly characterized by the ash groves, that besides acted an efficacious hydrogeological protection. At present, despite the progressive loss, the cultivation of manna ashes could still play an important role in the local economy. Therefore, in order to preserve all social, cultural and even biological values as well the landscape, it was proposed to establish a natural reserve of the manna ashes some decades ago; but that suggestion was later abandoned after the Madonie natural Park was estasblished. Nevertheless the Park has not, over the years, affected concretely the further abandonment of ash groves and the protection and conservation of the related landscape. Recently, the Sicilian Regional government has adopted some measures aimed at supporting farmers for replanting ash groves: these are active conservation initiatives for the produc- tion of manna. Here we find it useful to propose even passive measures such as reforestation like those implemented elsewhere in the province of Palermo with good results for the envi- ronment and landscape. Other initiatives, that could not be postponed, concern vocational training as well as research and conservation of ash varieties germplasm to be grown in specific arboretums such as those already implanted in the fields of the agricultural schools at Castelbuono (Palermo) and Mussomeli (Caltanissetta) and in the experimental plantations at Sparacia (Caltanissetta), SAF Department of the Palermo University.

In Sicily, the academic botanical gardens of Catania, Messina and Palermo have been historically exerting a multiplicity of activities ranging from maintenance of ex situ collections to plant conservation policy, practice and ecological restoration, along with more traditional functions related to education and academic research. In the last decade’s, two new botanical gardens the “Nuova Gussonea” and the “Bernardino da Ucria, were created in Sicily, with the aim to play more delimited, yet modern and complementary roles. The garden “Nuova Gussonea”, within the Etna Natural Park, is mostly devoted to collect and preserve the native flora of the Mount Etna, with a special focus on endemic and rare plants and their promotion to a wider public. The garden “Bernardino da Ucria”, in the Nebrodi Natural Park, is mainly specialized in promoting the local culture and to collect and preserve the agro-biodiversity of officinal plants in the Nebrodi territory. It is located in the homonymous village in the Messina district where the famous “demonstrator of plants” and co founder of the Botanical Garden of Palermo University was born. Noteworthy, within Sicily the Nebrodi area is undoubtedly the widest and richest in traditional activities regarding agriculture, sheep farming and sylviculture, which produced an agrobiodiversity heritage often representative of individual community cultures. Initially promoted by Palermo University and sustained by the Nebrodi Regional Park, this garden comprises the “Banca vivente del Germoplasma vegetale dei Nebrodi”. Accessions conserved in vivo so far include cultivars of crops (Corylus, Pyrus, Malus, Prunus sp. pl, Ficus, Juglans), vegetables (Phaseolus and Lycopersicum) and officinal plants, that are in part representative of local agricultural practices. Among crops, the collections of Ficus, Pyrus and Corylus are remarkable; while among vegetables, the beans (Phaseolus) are represented by over 65 distinct cultivars, comprising 57 climbing and 8 dwarf species (1). Additionally, the garden’s bank hosts several botanical collections unrelated to the local flora, representative of officinal and ornamental genus, such as Salvia, Helleborus, Paeonia and Camelia. The cryopreserved accessions so far encompass the bean cultivars, mainly found within the Nebrodi Park area. The aim of this particular collection is to further exploit the local agricultural and food heritage by recovering and spreading among local farmers of autochthonous cultivars under extinction risk. Moreover, the garden has recently been equipped with a molecular biology laboratory, performing studies on the genetic diversity of the accessions, as well as activities instrumental to the creation of a related DNA bank, interconnected with the Palermo Botanical garden bank (HBP-Bank). In 2011, the botanical garden of Ucria hosted the Summer School “Knowledge, conservation and management of plant biodiversity of the Mediterranean mountain systems”, organized by Palermo University together with OPTIMA, and financially sponsored by the Nebrodi Park. Similarly, the Summer School “Management of plant biodiversity in the Mediterranean: ex situ conservation and germplasm banks” will be held in 2016. The activities of the new Ucria botanical garden and its germplasm bank, is supported by a dedicated Consortium, established by the Nebrodi Park together with Palermo University. The botanical garden “Bernardino da Ucria” is open to public in the spring and summer period. It is also offering didactic visits for educational purposes to several schools.

The genus Calendula L. (Calenduleae Cass., Asteraceae) includes several species having medicinal properties. Pharmacological studies reveal, for instance, that C. officinalis L. exhibits antibacterial, antiviral, antinflammatory, antitumor and antioxidant properties; C. arvensis L. has antibacterial, antinflammatory, antimutagenic and haemolytic activities; C. suffruticosa Vahl has antimicrobial activity, especially against pathogenic microorganisms as Pseudomonas syringae Van Hall, Pseudomonas fluorescens (Flügge) Migula, Xanthomonas campestris (Pammel) Dowson and Agrobacterium tumefaciens Smith & Townsend. Nevertheless, despite a long tradition of use of the above species, and others, the genus has not been explored properly (1). In this contribution, the chemical composition of the essential oils in flowers, leaves and seeds of Calendula suffruticosa, from Castelmola on the Peloritani Mountains (E Sicily), is described. C. suffruticosa is a perennial and highly variable species growing in the Mediterranean basin: in it, a lot of subspecies and some varieties are distinguished (2). In the Mediterranean area, according to Greuter (3) nine subspecies occur on the whole, two of which also occur in the Italian Peninsula and in Sicily. Namely, these are C. suffruticosa subsp. suffruticosa and C. suffruticosa subsp. fulgida (Raf.) Guadagno. In its intraspecific variability, the species has a distribution ranging from the south-western Mediterranean basin – North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco), southern coasts of Portugal and Spain, Italy (s.l.) and Malta – to the south east - Greece and western Turkey. In Italy besides in Tuscany and Marche, it is common in Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily, from the coast up to 500 m altitude. In Sicily, both the subsp. suffruticosa and fulgida occur. The results here reported on a chemical study of a population is referred to subsp. fulgida, but only temporarily, since there are some distinctive characters that suggest a taxonomic position independent on both the two subspecific taxa so far recognized for the Sicilian flora (4). The essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation and were analysed by GC and GC–MS. On the whole, the essential oils are characterized by the presence of oxygenated sesquiterpenes, particularly β-eudesmol, and fatty acids, with hexadecanoic acid as the compound representative of this fraction and present in a very high concentration in the seeds. Along with this, essential oils from flowers and leaves also contain the diterpene neophytadiene while the flowers are the only parts of the plant in which sesquiterpene hydrocarbons are found. Owing to the chemical composition of other subspecies of C. suffruticosa is not still detected, the data obtained for the Castelmola population are a basic comparison term and a support to delimit the whole intraspecific taxa of the concerned species and besides to a more deeply taxonomic evaluation of the analyzed Sicilian population.

Smyrnium L., an Eurasian genus of the family Apiaceae, includes about 20 taxa of which only 7 are accepted at specific rank; among these, 5 are native to Europe (Tutin & al. 1968; Gomez 2003). In the Italian flora, the genus is represented by 3 taxa also occurring in Sicily (Pignatti 1982; Giardina & al. 2007); these are Smyrnium olusatrum L., S. perfoliatum L. and S. rotundifolium Mill. The last one has also been treated at the rank of subspecies under S. perfoliatum [S. perfoliatum subsp. rotundifolium (Mill.) Hartvig] (Strid 1986; Conti & al. 2005), or as a variety [S. perfoliatum var. rotundifolium (Mill.)Fiori (Fiori 1925)]. In Sicily, same populations related to S. perfoliatum differ from this taxon for both morphological and ecological characteristics, especially on the Madonie Mountains and the Mountains around Palermo. The study of the morphological characteristics – namely of the root, stem, and leaf – allowed to clearly distinguish these populations that, therefore, represented a taxonomically and perhaps even chorologically critical case, since similar plants occurring in Greece were described as S. rotundifolium var. ovatifolium Halácsy (Halácsy 1901). In Sicily the same population was finally described as a new species named Smyrnium dimartinoi (Raimondo et al., 2015) to commemorate Andrea Di Martino (1926-2009), professor of botany and director of the Botanical Garden and Herbarium Mediterraneum in the Palermo University. The occurrence of the new taxon related to S. perfoliatum – ascertained only in Central-Western Sicily and in Crete – has also been supposed in other countries of the Mediterranean Europe; this, owing to some critical specimens observed in PAL and PAL-Gr. In this contribution, the analytical key of S. perfoliatum group is presented. Furthermore, the geographical distribution of S. dimartinoi is specified after the study of selected exsiccata from other Italian and foreign herbaria. The results found in this research show that S. dimartinoi belongs to the Eurimediterranean element, spread in various countries of the Southern Europe, from Greece to Italy and Spain.

Cladanthus Cass. [Syn. Ormenis (Cass.) Cass.] is a genus of the family Asteraceae, endemic to the Mediterranean region and related to the tribe Anthemideae (1). It comprises 15 species including C. scariosus (Ball) Oberpr. & Vogt [Bas. Santolina scariosa; Syn. Ormenis scariosa Litard. & Maire] from Morocco where is concentrates 1/3 of the species of the genus (2). Some of these are perennial, suffruticose and strongly aromatic plants. C. mixta (L.) Chev. is used in Morocco as chamomile and this is commonly called Moroccan chamomile. In the same country, C scariosus is fairly common in open places, on sandstone substrates (3) and is characterized by a strong aromatic character, this has motivated the authors – some of which were previously occupied by other species of the same genus (4) – to undertake such study phytochemical. In this study, the authors present the results of chemical composition of the essential oil of Cladanthus scariosus wild grown in many regions of Morocco (5). Hydrodistillation of C. scariosus aerial parts, collected on the thermo-mediterranean belt of the central High Atlas – Oukeimeden, from Marrakech to Quarzazate – during the flowering phase gave a pale yellow oil. Overall, sixty-four compounds were identified, representing 92.7% of the total components. The main class of the oil was represented by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (39.8%) with germacrene D (20.7%) as the most abundant component of the class and of the oil. Monoterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes and oxygenated sesquiterpenes were present in similar amount (14.8%-15.1%). In these classes the main products were α-pinene (4.8%) and sabinene (6.9%) among the monoterpene hydrocarbons, (E)-chrysanthenyl acetate (8.3%) among the oxygenated monoterpenes and τ –muurolol (4.2%) and (E,E)-farnesyl acetate (3.9%) among the oxygenated sesquiterpenes. It is also noteworthy the good presence of chamazulene (7.1%).

Among the species of Verbena L. cultivated in Italy Traverso (1) reports: V venosa Gilles, V tenera Sprengel (= V. pulchella Sweet.) and the horticultural hybrid V I?Jbrida Hort. (=V. hortensis Hort.). No trace of V. bonariensis L., that is reported about 60 years later as naturalized in Tuscany (2). In the Herbarium Centrale !talcum (Fl) are housed specimens collected in Piedmont and Tuscany, labelled as V. venosa - taxon considered a variety of V. bonariensis. V. bonariensis, as indicated by the specific epithet, is a South American species, herbaceous, usually perennial, also cultivated as an ornamental. Several varieties and wild lforms are known of this taxon. The International Plant Names Index (IPNI) records: V bonariensis f. albiflora Moldenke, V. bonariensis var. brevibracteata Kuntze, V. bonariensis var. conglomerata Briq., V bonariensis f. gracilis (Cham.) Voss., V. bonariensis var. hispida Moldenke, V. bonariensis var. litoralis Hook., V. bonariensis var. longibradt?ata Kuntze, V. bonariensis var. rigida (Spreng.) Kuntz, V. bonariensis f. robustior Chodat, V bonariensis f. venosa (Gillies & Hook.) V oss. This species is native of S. America (Argentina, Brasile, ]Paraguay and Uruguay) (3, 4) and introduced in the USA (5), Azores, Great Britain, Canary Islands, Portugal, Madeira (6) and in Italy, as reported above, in Tuscany, in Tombolo Pisano (PI) (2, 7, 8) and in Liguria (8). Some considerations on the tendency of naturalization of the species in Sicily (9) where accidentally misinterpreted as the report of naturalization in the region (10, 11). This record was neglected in the subsequent floras and checklists (7, 8, 12, 13). Recently we verified the spontaneous occurrence of v~ bonariensis at the edges of a channel, in the southern outskirts of the city of Palermo (Sicily). This population, referred to V. bonariensis var. hispida, is made up of about 100 vigorous and perennial individuals with tendency to expand, actually, in the same area. The taxonomic identity of the Tuscan populations is different. In this region, it is known from Tombolo Pisano (2) as well as from Florence as documented by specimens collected in the square in front of the rail station of S. Maria Novella (Raimondo et Domina, 21/06/2012, PAL), in the fenced area for works of rearrangement of the square. In comparison with the population from Tombolo Pisano, referred to the nominal type, the population from Florence looks like annual and belonging to a diffe1rent variety, also in comparison with the Sicilian one. The recent discovery in Sicily as well as increasing the 11uota of adventitious exotic vascular flora of the island, confirms the tendency of the species to spread further in. the national territory.

The first record of Carex vesicaria from Sicily is reported. This circumboreal species, so far known from the peninsular regions of Italy and from Corsica, has been found in a marshy mead- ow within the Fagus sylvatica and Acer pseudoplatanus woody belt of the Nebrodi mountains (N-E Sicily). The phytocoenosis established in this locality is characterized by C. vesicaria itself together with a few other hygrophytes such as Galium elongatum, Mentha aquatica and Juncus effusus. This plant community belongs to a context of hygro-hydrophilous vegetation where marshy features characterized by Juncus striatus and Calliergonella cuspidata alternate with the lacustrine ones characterized by Potamogeton natans, Groenlandia densa and Apium inundatum.

In Sicily, the genus Helleborus (Ranuculaceae) is only represented by H. bocconei subsp. siculus (= H. bocconei subsp. intermedius). In some mountain areas of the Island, the rhizomes of this plant, harvested in a particular month of the year (May) and dried, are used in traditional veterinary practice for treating pneumonia in domestic animals, cattle and horses in particular. The same usage – with rhizomes of other Helleborus species or subspecies – is reported from various other areas of Mediterranean Europe. Phytochemical tests have permitted the isolation and characterization of new biologically active molecules. The extracts of rhizomes and aerial parts of the plant were shown antibacterial properties. Some compounds, isolated from the methanolic extract of the rhizomes, were shown to be cytotoxic. In addition, morpho-anatomical studies have revealed the presence of different endophytic and commensal fungi in all organs of the plant, which could be isolated and cultured. One of the isolates has been identified as the endophytic fungus Botrytis byssoidea, which is also widely present in the soil. Further fungal isolates include Chaetomium strumarium, strain RR1, an endophytic ascomycete the identity of which was confirmed by molecular analyses. When cultured, it developed plentifully; the filtered broth from these cultures was used in antibiotic property assays. The tests were positive; the detailed results are forthcoming. They support our initial hypothesis, that the therapeutic effect the hellebore’s rhizomes extract is due to metabolites produced by an endophytic fungus. It remains to be seen whether the plant itself, devoid of the microfungus, produces the same therapeutically effective metabolites that are present in the extracts of plants from the wild or from outdoor cultivation. The study of the Sicilian hellebore, beyond its biological interest, has potential for its relevance for therapeutic applications both in veterinary and human medicine.

La ricerca effettuata presenta la consistenza della componente vegetale legnosa dei giardini e parchi siciliani implicato nelle pollinosi. Quantitativamente, tale patrimonio non si discosta molto da quello dell’Italia peninsulare. Dal punto di vista qualitativo, invece, presenta significative caratteristiche distintive, costituite principalmente da piante subtropicali, esotiche, assenti o rare nel resto d’Italia, ma più o meno frequenti anche in altre aree del Mediterraneo centrale quali l’intero arcipelago siciliano, include Malta, la costa nordafricana, ecc. In particolare rispetto alla sola frazione legnosa (l'intera flora dei giardini siciliani comprende circa 740 specifici taxa), tale elenco comprende 406 taxa specifici, appartenenti a 191 generi di 83 famiglie. Tra queste specie, 265 tra cui 181 esotiche sono allergeniche. Il gruppo più inclusivo sono le conifere, con 23 specie allergeniche; tra le famiglie, le Oleacee con 11. Rispetto alle pollinosi, poiché lo studio non comprende le terofite e molte emicriptofite ornamentali, ma soprattutto perché non tratta tutte le essenze della flora nativa, esso non offre il quadro del potenziale allergenico globale per la Sicilia. Tuttavia, a parte il valore della documentazione in sé, in riferimento agli aspetti applicativi, i risultati della ricerca si prestano a impieghi di non trascurabile interesse ai fini del restauro e della riconversione qualitativa di parchi e giardini storici da restituire alla fruizione sia pubblica che privata, in un’ottica più generale di salubrità dell’ambiente urbano. Lo stesso vale, in primo luogo, per gl’impianti di nuova realizzazione e per le alberature stradali. I risultati dello studio condotto rappresentano una base per realizzazione di calendari pollinici su scala sia locale sia regionale. Infine, i dati presentati costituiscono il punto di partenza indispensabile per organizzare i bollettini pollinici che in passato si pubblicavano, seppure saltuariamente, su dati provenienti dalla Penisola italiana e che attualmente mancano del tutto. This research presents the woody plant component's consistency of Sicilian gardends and parks implicated in pollinosis. Quantitavely such heritage does not differ much from peninsular Italy's one. Instead, from a qualitive point of view, it presents significant distinctive features, manly made up of subtropical, exotic plants, which are absent or rare in the rest of Italy, but more or less frequent in other ares of central Mediterranean, like the whole Sicilian archipelago, including Malta, north Africa coast, etc. In particular, with respect to the sole woody fraction (the whole Sicilian garden flora includes about 740 specific taxa), such list consists of 406 specific taxa, belonging to 191 genera of 83 families. Among these species, 265 including 182 exotics are allergenic. The most inclusive group are the conifers, with 23 allergenic species; among the families, the Oleaceae with 11. Compared to pollinosis, because the study does not include the terophytes and many ornamental emicryptophytes, but manly because it does not treat all the native flora's essences, it does not offer the global allergen potential's picture of Sicily. However, apart from the value of the documentation itself, referring to the application aspects, the research's results lend themselves to uses of not negligible interest for historical parks and garden's restauration and qualitive conversion to restore their public and private fruition, in a more general sense of the urban enviroment's health. First of all, the same goes for new construction facilities and for the road trees. These study's results represent a base for the realization of pollen calendars both on local and regional scale. Finally, the presented data are the essential starting point to organize the pollen bulletins which in the past used to be published, even if occasionally, on data coming from the Italian peninsula and which are currently completely missing.