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Abstract Background Tribe Fabeae comprises about 380 legume species, including some of the most ancient and important crops like lentil, pea, and broad bean. Breeding efforts in legume crops rely on a detailed knowledge of closest wild relatives and geographic origin. Relationships within the tribe, however, are incompletely known and previous molecular results conflicted with the traditional morphology-based classification. Here we analyse the systematics, biogeography, and character evolution in the tribe based on plastid and nuclear DNA sequences. Results Phylogenetic analyses including c. 70% of the species in the tribe show that the genera Vicia and Lathyrus in their current circumscription are not monophyletic: Pisum and Vavilovia are nested in Lathyrus, the genus Lens is nested in Vicia. A small, well-supported clade including Vicia hirsuta, V. sylvatica, and some Mediterranean endemics, is the sister group to all remaining species in the tribe. Fabeae originated in the East Mediterranean region in the Miocene (23–16 million years ago (Ma)) and spread at least 39 times into Eurasia, seven times to the Americas, twice to tropical Africa and four times to Macaronesia. Broad bean (V. faba) and its sister V. paucijuga originated in Asia and might be sister to V. oroboides. Lentil (Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris) is of Mediterranean origin and together with eight very close relatives forms a clade that is nested in the core Vicia, where it evolved c. 14 Ma. The Pisum clade is nested in Lathyrus in a grade with the Mediterranean L. gloeosperma, L. neurolobus, and L. nissolia. The extinct Azorean endemic V. dennesiana belongs in section Cracca and is nested among Mediterranean species. According to our ancestral character state reconstruction results, ancestors of Fabeae had a basic chromosome number of 2n=14, an annual life form, and evenly hairy, dorsiventrally compressed styles. Conclusions Fabeae evolved in the Eastern Mediterranean in the middle Miocene and spread from there across Eurasia, into Tropical Africa, and at least seven times to the Americas. The middle-Atlantic islands were colonized four times but apparently did not serve as stepping-stones for Atlantic crossings. Long-distance dispersal events are relatively common in Fabeae (seven per ten million years). Current generic and infrageneric circumscriptions in Fabeae do not reflect monophyletic groups and should be revised. Suggestions for generic level delimitation are offered.

The article discusses addition to the flora species in the Madeira Island. Topics discussed include addition to the flora affecting natural habitats and endemic plant species, cultivation of Opuntia stricta in the south coast of Madeira Island, Portugal, availability of Crassula muscosa L. in rocky areas of the community Euphorbietum piscatorie at Porto Novo, Portugal and Clematis vitalba L naturalised in two localities such as Prazeres and Madalena do Mar in Portugal.

The article focuses on addition to the flora on the Porto Santo Island, Atlantic Ocean in Portugal including Alternanthera pubiflora, Fumaria capreolata L. and Rumex dentatus L. Topics discussed include cultivation of Fumaria capreolata L. in Madeira Island, new addition affecting natural habitats and native and endemic plant species in Porto Santo Island and Rumex dentatus L. considered native to Southwest Asia, North Africa and Western Europe.

Copyright of Silva Lusitana is the property of Unidade de Investigacao de Silvicultura e Productos Florestais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Silva Lusitana is the property of Unidade de Investigacao de Silvicultura e Productos Florestais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Silva Lusitana is the property of Unidade de Investigacao de Silvicultura e Productos Florestais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Silva Lusitana is the property of Unidade de Investigacao de Silvicultura e Productos Florestais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Silva Lusitana is the property of Unidade de Investigacao de Silvicultura e Productos Florestais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Silva Lusitana is the property of Unidade de Investigacao de Silvicultura e Productos Florestais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Silva Lusitana is the property of Unidade de Investigacao de Silvicultura e Productos Florestais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Silva Lusitana is the property of Unidade de Investigacao de Silvicultura e Productos Florestais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cloud water interception (CWI) occurs when cloud droplets are blown against the forest canopy, where they are retained on the vegetation surface, forming larger water droplets that drip into the forest floor. CWI was measured from 1 October 1997 to 30 September 1999, on a first-line tree heath ( Erica arborea), at Bica da Cana, Madeira Island. Rainfall was corrected for wind-loss effect and compared with throughfall and other climatological normals. The CWI depletion rate along a forest stand transect was also analysed during three distinct fog events in 2008. Cloud water was 28 mm day−1, corresponding to 68% of total throughfall and 190% of the gross precipitation. Cloud water correlates directly with monthly normals of fog days and wind speed and correlates inversely with the monthly air temperature normal. CWI has an exponential correlation with monthly relative humidity normal. Cloud water capture depletion along the stand shows a logarithmic decrease. Although a forest stand does not directly relate to a first-line tree heath, this study shows that CWI is a frequent phenomenon in the Paul da Serra massif. Restoration and protection of high altitude ecosystems in Madeira should be a priority, not only for biodiversity, ecological and economical purposes but also for its role in regional water resources. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In these contributions to the flora of Porto Santo Island (Madeira Archipelago) is proposed the recognition of Helichrysum melanophthalmum DC. var. rosea Lowe at subspecific level as Helichrysum melaleucum Rchb. subsp. roseum (Lowe) R.Jardim & M.Seq., comb. nov. Eight new species are reported for the first time for Porto Santo Island, two are considered indigenous (Asplenium onopteris L. and Ruppia maritima L.) and the others as naturalized species. The presence of two rare species is confirmed, the nemoral Sibthorpia peregrina L. and Brachypodium sylvaticum (Huds.) P. Beauv. characteristic of forest edges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the woody pachycaulous species of Sonchus parathalassius. It notes that the species should be considered as acritically endangered due to the scarce number of populations, reduced occupancy and occurrence area as defined by IUCN and heavy grazing by rabbits. The species resemble S. ustulatus but differs by the shrubby habit up to 90 centimeters (cm), penatipartite leaves with almost entire lobes, long acuminated terminal lone and inflorescence characters.

The article focuses on a study which examined andryala integrifolia, which is considered a new alien specie in the Island of Madeira. The macroscopic analysis on the specie was conducted using the binocular microscope Zeiss model SV 11 APO. The distribution map used was based on geographic coordinates of localities for the studied specimens and was plotted with the software application QUICKMAP for Windows Version 1.02.

The article presents information on Plantago costae Menezes, which is considered a forgotten species of the Madeira Flora. The new species was established by Madeiran botanist Carlos Azevedo de Menezes. The species was dedicated to botanist José G. da Costa, who first collected the plant in 1992. Information on the characteristics and distribution of the species is also presented.