Table of Contents

The authors report a survey on the mycologycal flora of Sicilian beech woods. 498 taxa (34 Ascomycetes and 464 Basidiomycetes), corresponding to 42 % of total number of taxa record- ed in beech woods of the Italian territory are here reported. The presence of a remarkable num- ber of Boletus species and some rare taxa is noteworthy.

The phytodermology on leaf and the stem anatomy were studied in Helianthemum croceum (Desf.) Pers., H. camum subsp. nebrodense (Heldr.) Arcang. and H. cinereum (Cav.) Pers.. In particular, the characters taken into account concern presence of trichomes, heterogeneity of chlorenchyma, presence of glandular hairs, epidermal foliar parameters by scanning electron and light microscopy, leaf architecture as well as stem and flower bud structure.

Most of the measured values of stem, leaf, flower and pod morphological characters are in agreement with data from literature. Since leaflet index value and length of inflorescence pedicel data were not found in the available literature, our results may contribute to better understanding of morphological features of this taxon. The anatomical analyses point to amphistomatal leaflet structure with numerous and smaller stomata on abaxial side, numerous glandular hairs, well developed leaflet spongy tissue and stem vessel clements. Mineral element concentrations are very high, especially K in all plant organs, N in leaves, P in pods and Ca in stem.

The Authors examine the importance of fungi in the decomposition of vegetal organic matter and propose ti study the phenomenon through the determination of the colony optimal or adaptive consistence. With rescarches carried out in mediterranean maquis areas different conditions selectioning fungal communities were investigated, among these matrices and areas considered as principal cause of a saprotrophic specialisation among fungi and plants.

A bibliographic search was carried out to make an updated catalogue of the plant species intro- duced and naturalized in the Spanish part of the Iberian peninsula. The number of records reported in the period 1975-2002 amounted to 170 plant species. The results were categorized according to botanical families and geographical origin. The status of these naturalized species and their distribution within the autonomous regions of the Spanish Iberia were also studied.

The results of a floristic study along the eastern coastline of the Gulf of Taranto (lonian Sea) are presented. The list consists of 119 taxa at specific and infraspecific level: 79 Rhodophyta, 18 Phaeophyceae (Heterokontophyta), 20 Chlorophyta and 2 Phanerogams. Of these, 6 (3 Rhodophyta, 2 Phaeophyceae and 1 Chlorophyta) are newly reported from the Apulian lonian coasts.

We studied algal assemblages from the Nahal Oren River for the purpose of revealing biodiversity of a natural aquatic ecosystem in northern Israel. In 94 samples of periphyton and phytoplankton we found 231 species from seven algal divisions. About 15% of the specics (34) are new for the algoflora of continental Israel and six of them represent the first recorded genera.

Pseudocrossidium replicatum, moss poorly known in Europe, has been discovered at Solunto near Palermo (NW ‘Sicily) and in Linosa (Pelagian archipelago). Its ecology and some phytosociological notes are given.

Medicago sect Dendrotelis includes shrubby perennial plants which produce stipitate pods with 1-3 coils, flowers with the keel equalling or slightly longer than the standard, and embryos with the radicle about half as long as seed. Three taxa with Mediterranean distributions are known: M. arborea, M. citrina and M. strasseri. The tetraploid number 2n = 32 is reported for M. strasseri, and the lectotype of M. citrina, a taxon for which the species rank is accepted, is also designated. Diagnostic characters, ecology and distribution areas are commented for all of them. Conservation remarks on M. citrina are reported. Finally, an identification key is also presented.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to reveal genetic relationships between Lophopyrum elongatum and Dasypyrum villosum. Allozymes indicated that gene diversity oceurrs primarily within than between populations of both taxa. Unbiased genetic identities (1) and distances (D) were calculated. Pairwise comparisons between populations of L. elongatum and D. villosum resulted in mean value of D equal to 0.889 - an indication that Lophopyrum and Dasypyrum are distantly related within the tribe Triticeae. The present isoenzyme study tended 10 support data derived from nuclear DNA sequences but it is incongruent with data from chloroplast DNA sequencing.

Anacolia webbii, till now unknown in the Italian peninsula, has been found in Calabria. It is a rare species in Europe, elsewhere known in Canary Islands, Madeira, North Africa and castern Asia.

Pinus pinea L. (Stone pine) forests isn’t widespread on the World. From the point of view of plant geography, study area is situated in the Mediterrancan floristic region which is under the effective control of a semi-arid, and superior-lukewarm variants of Mediterranean climate. Annual rainfall quantity is very important for development Pinus pinea. The minimal rainfall must be at least 600 mm. In this study the floristic composition and diversity of Pinus pinea forests in the south-western Anatolia region of Turkey have been investigated. In the study area, 212 species belonging to 145 genera and 37 families were identified. Distribution rates of the species in terms of phytogeographic regions are as follows: 54 (25%) Mediterranean elements, 28 (13.20%) East Mediterrancan elements, 6 (2.83%) Trano-Turanian and 4 (1.89%) Euro- Siberian elements, and 121 (57.08%) multi regional elements, The number of endemic is 11 and the rate of endemism is 5.1%.

This is the thirteenth of a series of reports of chromosomes numbers from Mediterranean area, peri-Alpine communities and the Atlantic Islands, in English or French language. It comprises contributions on 58 taxa: Alyssum, Arabis, Camelina, Erysimum, Iberis, Malcolmia, Roripppa and Galium from Bulgaria, by M. Anchev & V. Goranova (Nos 1319-1327); Athyrium, Dryopteris, Notholaena, Thelypteris and Blechnum from Bulgaria, by D. Ivanova (Nos 1328- 1333); Scorzonera, Tragopogon, Silene and Astragalus from Bulgaria, by D. Pavlova & A. ‘Tocheva (Nos 1334-1338); Lathyrus from Bulgaria, by A. Tosheva (Nos 1339-1343); Plantago from Italy, by L. Peruzzi (Nos 1344-1347); Clematis, Daphne, Hepatica, Lupinus, Ophrys, Orchis, Quercus, Triglochin and Veronica from Italy, by L. Peruzzi & G Cesca (Nos. 1348- 1356); Androsace, Gentiana, Rosa, Scabiosa and Solenopsis from Italy, by L. Peruzzi & D. Gargano (Nos 1357-1361); Ornithogalum from Italy, by L. Peruzzi & N. G. Passalaqua (Nos 1362-1365); Scirpus from Italy, by L. Pignotti (Nos 1366-1367); Genista from Spain, by T. Cusma Velari, L. Feoli Chiapella & G. Bacchetta (No. 1368); Cyrisus and Anthyllis from Spain, Turkey and Italy, by T. Cusma Velari, L. Feoli Chiapella, V. Kosovel & S. Patui (Nos 1369- 1371); Cerastium from Bulgaria, by K. Stoyanova (Nos 1372-1375).