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Thanks to the discovery of a new important site in the Trapani Mountains, the distribution of Euphorbia papillaris, a rare plant endemic to N-W Sicily, is revised. On the basis of the unpublished record, one of the two hypotheses on the discovery of the species in Sicily, previously advanced, is here confirmed. Floristic and ecological information on the new locality are also provided.

Aloë arborescens, A. brachystachys and A. maculata (Asphodelaceae) are reported for the first time as casual aliens in Sicily. A. brachystachys is new also for the alien flora of Italy.

Xanthium strumarium L. (Asteraceae) is an annual herb which reproduces solely by seed. So far its centre of origin was considered Central or South America. Recent archeological research revealed that the burs of X. strumarium were used in Yuergou site (400-200 cal BC) in the Turpan Basin of northwestern China. This plant adventive to Europe reduces germination of various crops and behaves like and aggressive invasive species. X. strumarium is the most frequently recorded plant in the field borders between the crop land and adjacent territories the agricultural areas in Bulgaria. We aim of this study is to reveal the potential of X. strumarium as a cheap source of compounds with valuable pharmacological activities. Here we analyse: 1) the traditional ethnobotanical data from its native habitats; 2) the modern investigations of pharmacological activity and essential secondary compounds. Traditionally the plant is used as febrifuge drug and an immunostimulant, as a diaphoretic agent and against malaria, as well as dysentry cure, astringent, sedative, analgesic, diuretic, against leucorrhoea and urinary diseases, eczema and skin disease, bleeding, insect bite, to treat boils and pimples, against smallpox and stomach diseases, earache and strumous disease, leprosy, headache, fever, etc. X. strumarium contains sesquiterpene lactones, thiazinediones, phenolic acids etc. and posses anticancer, antitussive, antifungal, antiinflammatory, antinociceptive, hypoglycaemic, antioxidant, antitrypanosomal, and antidepressant-like activity, diuretic effects, insecticidal and herbicidal activities as well as antitrypanosomal effect. A pharmaceutical application of this plant in the future would reduce its populations and thus would contribute to the biodiversity conservation.

New records of Commelina communis, Euphorbia hypericifolia, Melia azedarach, Nicotiana tabacum, and Xanthoceras sorbifolium are reported for the Sicilian flora.

The ornamental flora of parks and gardens, as we know, generally includes high proportions of exotics. In Italy it arose from Renaissance on and increasingly enriched up to include a large proportion of exotics native to countries under Mediterranean and temperate climates. Similarly the garden flora of Sicily has a large number of mostly Mediterranean and subtropical exotics. Even if very similar on the whole, these floras differ in some floristic, biological and ecological features. Indeed, several succulent families and genera that are rare or missing in Italy are frequent in Sicily, but plants from temperate regions are almost absent in the island. As regards the allergenic patterns referring to pollinosis, there are several aspects to be taken into account: In particular, native ornamental plants in Sicily often have flowering period and pollen emission early than in Italy; besides for alien plants occurring only in Sicilian gardens, the relevant allergenic properties are deduced from literature sources concerning the countries of origin. Therefore, pollen bulletins weekly spread by Italian networks (POLLnet) are not suitable for Sicily which, apart from some old and incomplete data, is presently not covered. Nevertheless, despite the lack of a continuous flow of data, a calendar of the pollen emissions in some urban areas can be programmed. Indeed, taking into account the city of Palermo, where 23 public gardens have been floristically inventoried and mapped, the calendar of each single garden can be obtained using the comprehensive garden floristic list fitted out with the relevant allergenic data now complete for Sicily. 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.

New localities for Euphorbia hypericifolia (Euphorbiaceae) and Phyllanthus tenellus (Phyllanthaceae) in Sicily – Two new adventive plants, Euphorbia hypericifolia (Euphorbiaceae) and Phyllanthus tenellus (Phyllanthaceae), are reported in the Palermo’s urban area. These two taxa belonging to closely related families were both already known from the province of Messina (E. Sicily), the first one near the Messina town, the second near Taormina. The new localities expand toward west the Sicilian distribution of the two taxa, so that these appear to likely occur in other urban contexts of the island. Finally, as far as the accession road to the island is concerned, the- se two aliens – that have not yet been recorded in the rest of the Italian territory could have been introduced as plantlets or seeds included in pots of ornamental plants imported from foreign countries.

La fitoterapia, cioè la cura delle malattie per mezzo dei vegetali, ha rappresentato il metodo utilizzato fin dall'antichità per alleviare le sofferenze e a volte curare o risolvere reali patologie mediante l’impiego di parti di piante fresche o essiccate o dei loro estratti naturali. Come si evince da questo breve excursus storico, in tutti i continenti, tutte le civiltà si sono dedicate, oltre che alla coltura di piante a scopo alimentare, alla ricerca di piante con proprietà terapeutiche. E’ straordinariamente interessante come, attraverso i millenni, l’insieme di queste nozioni si sia arricchito, e anche diversificato, senza essere mai interamente dimenticato.

The genus Clinopodium L. (Lamiaceae) is known for its medical uses in folk medicine and as a spice in Italian food. Recently, several taxa previously assigned to Satureja L. and Calamintha Mill. have been transferred to this genus (1). Pharmacological studies reveal, for instance, that Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi [Clinopodium nepeta Kuntze subsp. nepeta], commonly known as “nepetella”, exhibits cholagogue, expectorant, sedative and antibiotic properties (2); furthermore, the essential oil of its aerial parts showed an antifungal activity (3). The apical flowering parts and leaves of Clinopodium vulgare L. are used in popular medicine for their carminative and emmenagogue properties (1); recently, the essential oil of its aerial parts was found to possess remarkable radical-scavenging and antioxidant activities (4). In Madeira Island, the local population uses the leaves of Clinopodium ascendens Samp. as a mouth freshener and to alleviate headache and toothache; furthermore, the essential oil of its aerial parts exhibited remarkable antibacterial and antifungal activities (5). Here, the chemical composition of the essential oils of four taxa of Clinopodium growing wild in Sicily is reported. In particular, were investigated Clinopodium nepeta Kuntze subsp glandulosum (Req.) Govaerts from Cava Grande (Avola, Siracusa), Clinopodium nepeta Kuntze subsp. nepeta from Cave di Cusa (Campobello di Mazzara, Trapani), Clinopodium raimondoi Spadaro, Faqi & Mazzola from Palermo (Fondo Patti, San Gabriele) and Clinopodium nepeta Kuntze subsp. ascendens B. Bock. from Castelbuono (Madonie, Palermo). The essential oils, extracted by hydrodistillation according to the European Pharmacopoeia, were analysed by GC and CG/MS. In the four oils, 48 compounds in all were identified: 27 for Clinopodium nepeta subsp. glandulosum (98,4% of the total oil), 19 for Clinopodium nepeta subsp. nepeta (98,6% of the oil), 26 for Clinopodium raimondoi (96,5% of the oil) and 38 for Clinopodium nepeta subsp. ascendens (93,5% of the oil). In C. nepeta subsp. glandulosum, the most abundant compounds were trans-dihydrocarvone (36.5%), carvone (19.2%) and cis-dihydrocarvone (13.0%). On the whole, the oil was constituted mainly of monoterpenes (81.5%) and sesquiterpenes (13.4%). In the first fraction, oxygen-containing monoterpenes (73.4%) prevailed over monoterpene hydrocarbons (8.16%). In C. nepeta subsp. nepeta, the main components were cis-piperitone oxide (39.0%), piperitenone (36.0%) and limonene (7.7%). Monoterpenes constituted the most abundant fraction of the oil (91.0%), with a prevalence of oxygen-containing monoterpenes (81.5%). Piperitenone oxide (59%) cis-piperitone oxide (22.2%) and limonene (6.0%) were the main compounds of C. raimondoi. As in the other oils studied, monoterpenes constituted the main fraction and accounted for 90.2% of the total oil with a prevalence of oxygen-containing monoterpenes (82.4%) over monoterpene hydrocarbons (7.8%). In C. nepeta subsp. ascendens, the main compounds were carvone (14.4%), trans-isopulegone (11.5%) and mint furanone (8.9%). On the whole, the main fraction was constituted of monoterpenes (81.1%). Among these, monoterpene hydrocarbons (73.4%) were the most abundant components of the oil. In conclusion, all four oils share a high percentage of monoterpenes and a scarce amount of sesquiterpenes. Previous papers on the analysis of the essential oils of Clinopodium sp.pl. showed that the monoterpenes group is usually dominant, although the main component may vary. The results of the present study concur with these findings.

Il contributo analizza le criticità tassonomiche e la distribuzione sul territorio italiano delle specie del genere Fraxinus, evidenziando la necessità di una revisione tassonomica e nomenclaturale dei taxa esistenti

Centaurea dissecta Ten., sensu Fiori (1), comprende diverse entità in qualche caso anche critiche (4). Studi recenti sulle popolazioni dell’Italia meridionale e insulare hanno messo in luce una significativa variabilità genetica (2). Diversi taxa specifici sono stati descritti proprio in questi ultimi anni. In Sicilia, dove il gruppo era rappresentato solo da C. parlatoris Heldr. e da poche altre unità infraspecifiche, alcune popolazioni riferite a detta specie sono state proposte come nuove specie [C. giardinae Raimondo & Spadaro sull’Etna (6) e C. sicana Raimondo & Spadaro nei Monti Sicani (8)]. Varietà di C. parlatoris [var. tomentosa Guss. e var. virescens Guss. (5) ] sono state elevate rispettivamente al rango specifico con un nuovo nome [C gussonei Raimondo & Spadaro (7)] e sottospecifico [C. parlatoris subsp. virescens (Guss.) Raimondo & Bancheva (9)]. Recenti raccolte nei Sicani centro-occidentali, in particolare presso Monte Colomba, hanno consentito di riscontrare una popolazione riconducibile al ciclo di C. parlatoris e non altrimenti riferibile ai taxa noti, in particolare alla vicina C. sicana Raimondo & Spadaro. La popolazione risulta abbastanza frequente e distinta rispetto ad altre popolazioni insulari riferite a C. parlatoris s.l.. Lo studio comparativo dei reperti della popolazione dei Sicani centro-occidentali e delle altre riferite a C. parlatoris s.l., ha permesso di rilevarvi caratteri peculiari, assenti nei taxa siciliani dello stesso ciclo e assunti, quindi, come discriminanti. Tali caratteri consentono di riferire la popolazione studiata ad un nuovo taxon. La popolazione di Monte Colomba si distingue da quelle insistenti nei Sicani orientali, in quanto pianta più gracile, da cinerina a virescente, con fusto eretto o sdraiato, poco scabro, ramoso-corimboso a partire dalla sua metà inferiore; capolini piccoli; achenio con breve pappo coronato e di dimensioni molto ridotte. Le foglie sono distintamente lirato-pennatifide sin dalla base, le caulinari da cinerine a virescenti, ridotte progressivamente fino all’estremità dello scapo dove per buona parte restano pennato-settate. Si rinviene in habitat semirupestri e nei prati montani su litosuoli carbonatici tra 800-1200 m (s.l.m.), nello spazio potenziale dei querceti con Ostrya carpinifolia Scop.. Si associa a varie specie fra le quali ricorrono Anthemis arvensis subsp. sphacelata (C. Presl) R. Fern., A. cupaniana Tod. ex Nyman, Anthyllis vulneraria subsp. maura (Beck) Maire, Asphodeline lutea (L.) Rchb., Asphodelus ramosus L. subsp. ramosus, Brachypodium rupestre (Host) Roem. & Schult., Cachrys ferulacea (L.) Calest., Carduus nutans subsp. siculus (Franco) Greuter, Dianthus siculus C. Presl, Dryopteris pallida (Bory) C. Chr. ex Maire & Petitm., Helianthemum croceum (Desf.) Pers., Hypericum perfoliatum L., Inula montana L., Linaria purpurea (L.) Mill. subsp. purpurea var. purpurea, Lonicera etrusca Santi, Medicago lupulina subsp. cupaniana (Guss.) Nyman, Origanum vulgare L., Orchis papilionacea L., Polygala preslii Spreng., Rosa canina L., Salvia verbenaca L., Scandix australis L., Scorzonera villosa subsp. columnae (Guss.) Nyman, Silene italica subsp. sicula (Ucria) Jeanm., Smyrnium rotundifolium Mill., Thymus spinulosus Ten., Trifolium glomeratum L., T. nigrescens Viv., Valeriana tuberosa L. e Verbascum creticum (L.) Cav.. La popolazione esaminata si relaziona maggiormente con C. sicana, tuttavia, ad un’analisi fitochimica preliminare risulta ben distinta da questa e anche da C. giardinae (3).

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of congenital syphilis and its risk factors in Italy. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007. Data on mother-child pairs were collected for every syphilis seropositive mother. RESULTS: Maternal syphilis seroprevalence at delivery was 0.17%. 207 infants were born to 203 syphilis seropositive mothers. In 25 newborns it was possible to diagnose congenital syphilis (20/100,000 live births). Maternal risk factors included age

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Biogeographia vol. XXX - 2011 (Pubblicato il 23 dicembre 2011) La Biogeografla della Sicilia Caratteri biogeografici della flora Vascolare della Sicilia FRANCESCO M. RAIMONDO, VIVIENNE SPADARO Uniz/ersita di Palermo - Dzjmrtimmto di Biologia Am/aientale e Biodizxersita, via Arc/airafi 38, I—90]23 Palermo (Italy); e—maz'[.-fiancesco. raimondo @am]ga.z't Key words: chorology, endemism, vascular flora, Sicily. SUMMARY According to a recent catalogue and other new contributions, the vascular flora of Sicily consists of more than 3,250 specific and intraspecific taxa. Among them endemic taxa, including those very local and threatened, amount to 16%. Noteworthy are both adventitious and naturalized exotics, whose number has increased from the post-war period onwards. Besides endemic taxa, Mediterranean and Paleotemperate elements have a remarkable incidence. Also considerable are the Irano—Turanic, Macaronesic, Sub—Atlantic, Euro—Asiatic, Centro—European and Circum- boreal p/rytocboria. The latter is a clear evidence of the impact of the glacial expansion in the Mediterranean area as well as of the incidence of mountainous habitats upon the island. Besides a list of the endemic and rare taxa of Sicily, the Authors give a revision of biological and chorological spectra, previously elaborated on the basis of data drawn from the manuscript of Pignatti’s Flora d’Italia (1982) got over by then. Although on the whole consistent with the former, the new spectra provide an updated picture of the biological and chorological composition of the Sicilian flora as well as of the biogeographic relationships of the region. INTRODUZIONE All’interno della regione floristica rnediterranea, Fenaroli e Giacomini (1968) collocavano la Sicilia nell’ambito della provincia ligure-tirrenica. Con le pic- cole isole e Yarcipelago maltese, il suo territorio veniva a costituire il distretto siculo, distinto nei settori: siciliano (comprendente l’isola di Sicilia, Ustica e le Eolie a Nord, e le Egadi ad Ovest) e pelagico-maltese (comprendente Pantelle- ria, le Pelagic e le isole di Malta e Gozo) (Fig. 1). Di recente, per lo stesso ter— ritorio, sono state proposte due altre diverse ripartizioni fitogeografiche. Brui- lo et al.(1995) definiscono un “dominio siculo”, unita nella quale individuano due settori: Yeusiculo e il pelagico. ll primo viene distinto in 4 sottosettori: il r1ord—orientale con i distretti madonita, nebrodense, peloritano, etneo e eolia— no; Yoccidentale con i distretti drepano—panormitano ed egadense; il centrale con i distretti agrigentino e catanense; il meridionale con i distretti ibleo e ca— marir1o—pachinense. ll settore pelagico viene semplicemente ripartito in 4 di- stretti: cosirense, algusico, lopadusano e melitense (Fig. 2). Pedrotti (1996), in

Anthemis parlatoreana was collected in the north west coast of Sicily. Fresh and dried aerial parts were subjected to distillation procedure for the extraction and isolation of essential oils. In both fresh and dried samples, the most abundant chemical classes were ketones and esters, represented to a greater extent by β-thujone and β-artemisia acetate, respectively. In dried vegetable material, a high content of α-pinene and δ3-carene was also registered. Aqueous, methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of aerial parts were also investigated in terms of polyphenolic content and antioxidant potential. All the extracts tested showed a quite different quali-quantitative profile and in terms of chemical classes, most of compounds belonged to the hydroxycinnamic class (15 compounds) followed by flavonoid one (11 compounds); the rest was comprised of 2 sequiterpenoids, 2 organic acids and 1 hydroxybenzoic acid derivative. Further, the dried methanolic followed by the dried aqueous extracts revealed the best quenching ability, whereas concerning iron chelating capacity, although all of them showed a marked capacity to disrupt or inhibit the formation of iron (II)-Ferrozine complex, a slight difference was observed between the dried and the fresh ones, since the former have a slightly higher chelating power than the latter.

As part of a project aimed at investigating the specific and intraspecific taxa of Matthiola which grow spontaneously in Sicily (Italy), in this work our research has been focused on Matthiola tricuspidata and Matthiola sinuata. The phenolic and volatile compounds of the hydroalcoholic extracts from the aerial parts of the selected species have been characterized by HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS and SPME-GC/MS analyses. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity in vitro (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), reducing power and Fe2+ chelating activity assays) and the toxicity (Artemia salina lethality bioassay) of the extracts were investigated. The phytochemical analyses highlighted quite different phenolic and volatile profiles in the two species. Concerning the antioxidant properties, M. tricuspidata extract resulted the most active both in the DPPH and in the reducing power tests (IC50 = 1.20 ± 0.01 mg/mL and ASE/mL = 11.25 ± 0.97), whereas M. sinuata extract showed better secondary antioxidant properties (IC50 = 1.32±0.02mg/mL). The extracts resulted non-toxic in the Artemia salina lethality bioassay. Our findings indicate that both M. tricuspidata and M. sinuata represent new safe sources of bioactive compounds with antioxidant potential.

After a brief review of the recent acquisition in some native genera of family Asteraceae from southern Italy and Sicily, a new endemic species of Anthemis (sect. Hiorthia) is described from Sicily and named Anthemis parlatoreana. The locus classicus of the new taxon, falling in the NW Tyrrhenian coast of the island (Castellammare del Golfo, Trapani), coincides with that of Ptilostemon greuteri, another endemic very rare species of the Sicilian flora. Data on the morphology, distribution, ecology and conservation status of the new species are provided. The taxonomic relationships with the other Sicilian taxa of the same section, in particular A. cupaniana, are also analyzed. The simultaneous presence in the same site of other endemic plants enriches the area of the limestone reliefs of Castellammare del Golfo and all of north-western Sicily with biogeographic significance and biogenetic importance.

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.

It is reported the presence in Sicily of a new alien species destined to a progressive further spread in the Island. It is Bidens subalternans DC., an annual asteracea of American origin, already known in other Italian regions (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardia, Marche, Lazio and Campania) and in other European countries (Belgium, Corse, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Great Britain, Montenegro, Republic of Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland). The new locality, in Sicily, occurs along the roadside Monreale – Pioppo, south of the city of Palermo. In this station, B. subalternans is found together with B. pilosa subsp. minor and other indigenous and exotic nitrophilous taxa. The population observed near Monreale (Palermo), is quite large and, according to the methods of dispersion, shows in Sicily an invasive tendency in favourable environment. The affinities of B. subalternans with B. bipinnata L. – with which the species was sometimes confused – is also discussed.

Botanical drawings of Angelina Damiani Lanza (1879 - 1936). The drawings of Sicilian plants made by Ange- lina Damiani are reported and commented. After a brief presentation of the author’s personality, the technique used in the drawings is examined, together with the relevant value from the artistic and botanical point of view. This material, mainly consisting of pencil drawings gathered in an album recently donated to the Director of the Palermo Botanical Garden, sin- ce 2006 is exhibited in the small historical museum set up in one of the halls of the monumental Gymnasium of the same Botanical Garden. Most of the drawings done by Angelina Damiani for the studies of her husband, the Sicilian botanist Domenico Lanza, mainly concern various species and varieties of Calendula.This hard genus of the Asteraceae family was indeed covered by the special interest of Domenico Lanza, on which he carried out a valuable botanical monographic work.

Vengono presentate 50 schede relative ad altrettante piante officinali e per ciascuna di esse si riportano i corrispondenti caratteri botanici, binomio scientifico, nome comune, distribuzione geografica, droga, principi attivi, usi ed impieghi terapeutici ed infine, interessanti note aggiuntive.

The chemical composition of the essential oils isolated from the aerial parts of Anthemis arvensis L. subsp. arvensis, Anthemis cretica subsp. messanensis (Brullo) Giardina & Raimondo and from flowers and leaves of Anthemis cretica subsp. columnae (Ten.) Frezén were determinated by GC–FID and GC–MS analyses. Torreyol (85.4%) was recognised as the main constituent of the Anthemis arvensis subsp. arvensis essential oil, while in the essential oils of Anthemis cretica subsp. messanensis, collected on the rock and cultivated in Hortus Botanicus Panormitanus, (E)-chrysanthenyl acetate (28.8 and 24.2% resp.), 14-hydroxy-α-humulene (8.1 and 5.3% resp.), santolina triene (8 and 5.8% resp.) and α-pinene (6.7 and 5.4% resp.) prevailed. 18-cineole (13.3 and 12.2% resp.), was the main component of both flower and leaf oils of Anthemis cretica subsp. columnae together with δ-cadinene (9.0 and 8.2% resp.) and (E)-caryophyllene (8.3 and 5.6% resp.).

A non-sporulating fungus was isolated from different organs of Helleborus bocconei subsp. intermedius (Ranunculaceae) endemic to southern Italy and Sicily, known for the traditional use of dried roots in the treatment of lung diseases of cattle and horses. Molecular characterization of endophytic fungus based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rRNA gene sequences was done. The DNA sequence of full length ITS region of the studied fungus was a 100% match to that of Chaetomium strumarium strain dH 21642 (GenBank accession number JX280851.1). The morphological characters of colony and mycelium of this microfungus are reported here.

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.

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.

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.

In this study, Sorbus busambarensis, a new species from Rocca Busambra (Palermo, NW Sicily) has been described and named. On the basis of the critical features of its flowers, fruits and leaves, it is noted to be a member of S. sect. Aria and is related to the other taxa that form the polymorphic group of S. aria, which in Sicily is represented by S. aria s. str., S. graeca and S. umbellata.

On the basis of plant collections recently carried out in Sicily as well as the study of the herbarium material kept in PAL and PAL-Gr, a new species of Smyrnium (Apiaceae) is described here. This new taxon, named Smyrnium dimartinoi, is related to S. perfoliatum and is presently known from Sicily, Crete and realistically elsewhere in the Mediterranean. In such range it occurs in open woods and clearings of the Mediterranean-temperate and submontane belt.

The natural kaurane, beyerane and atisane diterpenoids isolated from the genus Elaeoselinum (Apiaceae)and their semi-synthetic derivatives are reviewed. Published 13C NMR spectroscopic data and biological properties of these diterpenes are also reported.

The chemical composition of the essential oil isolated from the aerial parts of Pulicaria sicula (L.) Moris was characterized by GC-FID and GC/MS analyses. The oil was particularly rich in oxygenated terpenoids. Among the oxygenated monoterpenes (content of 44.5%), the most abundant were borneol (23.7%), bornyl acetate (6.5%), and isothymol isobutyrate (6.2%). Caryophyllene oxide (10.2%), caryophylladienol I (4.3%), and caryophylla-3,8(13)-dien-5β-ol (4.4%) were identified as the main constituents among the oxygenated sesquiterpenes. Furthermore, a complete literature review on the composition of the essential oils of all the Pulicaria taxa studied so far was performed and a principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out.

Smyrnium L. is an Eurasian genus of the family Apiaceae, including about 20 species. In the Italian flora, it is represented by 3 taxa also occurring in Sicily. These are: Smyrnium olusatrum L., S. perfoliatum L. and S. rotundifolium Mill. (1, 2). The last one has also been treated at the rank of subspecies under S. perfoliatum [S. perfoliatum subsp. rotundifolium (Mill.) Hartvig] (3, 4) or as a mere variety (5). Smyrnium olusatrum, often associated to nitrophylous habitats, unlike the other two, occurs throughout most of the Island. Smyrnium perfoliatum occurs in the underwood of deciduous Quercus sp. pl. or of Fagus sylvatica L. woods, in the submontane and montane belts of the Nebrodi mountains. Smyrnium rotundifolium is instead common in some less mesophylous environments like thermophylous open woodlands of central and western Sicily. In this sector of the island, the populations of the Madonie and of the Montains around Palermo referable to S. perfoliatum diverge for both morphological and ecological characteristics. Indeed, plants corresponding to S. perfoliatum subsp. perfoliatum occur only in the underwood of Quercus and Fagus woods in the Nebrodi mountains, under mesophylous conditions; dissimilar forms that are rather intermediate with respect to S. rotundifolium instead occur in C-W Sicily (Madonie and Mounts of Palermo). The study of the phenotypic characters, in particular of the leaf, makes possible to clearly distinguish these populations that, therefore, represent a taxonomically and perhaps even chorologically critical case, since similar plants of Greece have been described as S. rotundifolium var. ovatifolium Halàksy (6). Then, the latter taxon, today overridden, in the light of the Sicilian case should be re-evaluated.