Table of Contents

Since most ancient times, rarely a land had as many different populations and cultures as Sicily. The eastern part of the Island was inhabited by Sicels, who had moved native people, the Sicanians, westwards, where Elymians already settled in the cities of Erice, Segesta, Iato and Entella. Sicilian coasts were frequented by Phoenician merchants who, during Greek establishment in the East, firmly settled in three cities quoted by Thucydides: Motya, Panormus and Solunto. The Greeks conquered the eastern coasts and then the northern and southern ones as well starting their hegemony on almost all Sicily. This expansion pushed Carthage to strongly settle in the Island and slowly, though unavoidable, to build a kingdom, called Eparchy, which led to the foundation of Lilybaeum, a new defense city close to Motya. The urban landscape of the Eparchy cities was characterized by a strong penetration with the territory, for the choice of the sites placed on flat peaks of isolated mountains or integrated with the sea. Phoenician cities were placed on islands, such as Motya, or on promontories, such as Panormus, and Solunto. Elymian cities, on the contrary, were placed on suggestive mountains, such as Iaitas, Segesta, Entella and Erice. The capital of the Carthaginian Eparchy, Lilybaeum was characterized by the most complex defensive works in the ancient times. The last actions of the possession of Punic Eparchy were the foundation dated 260 B.C. of Drepanon and the deportat...

For visitors from Northern Europe making the Grand Tour during the 18th and 19th centuries, the encounter with the exuberant vegetation of Sicily had almost as great an impact, emotionally and aesthetically, as did the sight of the fallen temples of Magna Graecia. The average modern tourist tramps the excavation sites with little information offered that might enable him to share the experience of his predecessors. Over twenty-five years in the making, and fruit of a collaboration between an American writer living in Sicily and an American botanical illustrator, the idea for "The Garlands of the Gods" has evolved from creating a simple tool for identifying the most common wildflowers growing among the ruins, to including a broader look at these plants in mythological, literary and historical terms, and a brief consideration of what the flower-decked remnants of the classical world meant to visitors over the last centuries. The entire project was published in Palermo in December of 2018 as a light and easily transportable volume that examines some one hundred plants together with an introduction to seven of the most frequented sites. It is the hope of the authors that their efforts may eventually provide some small stimulus towards the establishment of a program for the promotion of botanical tourism

Agricultural landscapes and fruit plants unmask, in a backward journey, the subjectivity of the researcher between space, culture and investigative reflection.

The Sicilian religious festivals present a rich and varied plant symbolism. In addition to the widespread practice of decorating processional statues with flowers, fruits, ears of wheat, green beans depending on the season and the phases of the agricultural cycles, the use of carrying processionally simple branches of laurel or more complex plant artifacts is widely observed. These uses are particularly present in the ceremonies of the Holy Week, in the spring festivals dedicated to Saint Joseph (March 19) and to the Holy Cross (May 3), in the summer ones dedicated to the patron saints. These are phenomena that clearly testify the continuity of ritual structures and symbols and which presently renew the cultural memory of a Sicilian society, lived for millennia of agriculture and farming.

Italy is among the European countries richest in biodiversity, mainly due to a wide variety of geomorphological and climatic conditions. Its very high plant diversity is also the result of its geographical position, acting as a bridge between Central Europe and the Mediterranean Sea and producing the coexistence of different biogeographic elements with a high contingent of endemic plant species, which amounts to more than 15%. As in many other mountains of the world, both the Alps and the Apennines host an extremely rich flora which forms peculiar plant communities characterizing several priority habitats listed in Directive 92/43/EEC and forming wonderful mountain landscapes, where nature and human work merge increasing biodiversity. The voyage from North to South through the Italian mountain plant diversity is an opportunity to observe the responses of plant species and habitats to climate and land use changes that very rapidly are transforming our mountain landscapes, not only at lower altitudes, as expected, but, surprisingly, along the whole altitudinal gradient. Recent results on changes of the summit flora (GLORIA and Summit flora projects), as well as on abandonment of the traditional grazing and forestry activities in some mountain areas and on the spread of nonnative species, produced significant changes at levels of species, habitat and landscape. On one hand the responses of plants to these changes confirm that they are a threat for plant biodiversi...

Since prehistoric times, temperate grasslands have provided favorable habitat for human subsistence. Ease of exploitation, however, has caused that temperate grasslands are among the most destroyed terrestrial ecosystems. The region known as the Pampas or Rio de la Plata Grasslands, extending over some 750,000 sq. km in central eastern Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil, comprises the largest temperate grassland area in the southern hemisphere. Flat topography, humid temperate climate, grassy natural vegetation, and absence of large native herbivores have conditioned multiple aspects of human life in the region, like patterns of population settlement, techniques for acquisition and transportation of goods, aesthetic preferences, and social structure. In this article, we present some writers inspired by the Pampas, we briefly summarize the main results of scientific research on the drivers of vegetation physiognomy and heterogeneity in the Pampas, based on the invaluable floristic database compiled by Professor Rolando J. C. León, and we sketch one of Professor León´s scientific-historic tours to the Pampas. Finally, we call attention to currently threats to the persistence of Pampean Grassland.

Biodiversity is undergoing rapid and worrying changes, partially driven by anthropogenic activities. Human impacts and climate change (e.g. increasing temperature and ocean acidification), which act at different spatial scale, represent the most serious threats to biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function. In this overview, the effects of anthropogenic pressures on unique and valuable Mediterranean systems, such as Cystoseira sp. pl. forest and Posidonia oceanica meadows, are examined. These complex systems, characterized by a high associated biodiversity, are regularly exposed to natural and anthropogenic pressures. Due to the central role they have for several important ecological processes in marine ecosystems, their loss can lead dramatic consequences. Since these ecosystems are often unable to recover naturally, it is necessary to reinforce their resilience. Therefore, reintroduction by transplantation and reforestation methods have been recently proposed. Considering future increase in anthropogenic and climatic pressures, understanding how these systems respond to stressors and preserving their resilience should be an essential component of any conservation management plan.

“Re-flowering flowers”, i.e., the metamorphic artistic representations of plants in which one flower gives birth to other ones, are often detectable in the phytoiconography of the Greek-Roman art. Through an extensive analysis of archaeological artworks in the Euro-Mediterranean and WestAsian area, we found the diffusion of this motif starting from the Hellenistic period (IV century B.C.). The metamorphic flowers motif became a dominant element in triumphal arches, and later also in coffered ceilings, forming the so-called “rosettes”. The identification of the single plant elements of these compositions can be carried out both on pottery (among which the best examples come from the Apulian and Greek vases) and on carved structures, where colours are no longer present. We analyzed in detail the botanical compositions of the scrolls of the Ara Pacis and in the triumphal Arches of Titus and Septimius Severus in Rome (Italy). The results enhanced the representation of a relevant floristic richness with some recurrent flowers, such as those of Lilium, Anemone, Silene, Stellaria, Anthemis, Calendula, Scabiosa, Asphodelus, Nuphar, Carlina and Laurus, but also fruits, shoots, bulbs and floral buds. This motif seems linked to the leading thread of the metamorphosis in the Hellenistic culture and the revived Pythagorean theories of the Augustan age. The continuous transformation of an element into another suggests a spatial translation of temporal concepts: the absenc...

Biodeterioration is a complex process induced by the growing and metabolic activity of a wide range of macro and microorganisms, becoming a revelling problem also for the mosaic tesserae of “Casa di Leda” in the Greco - Roman site of Solunto in Sicily. In this case-study, a thick biofilm inducing a deep alteration of mortar and consequently the mosaic tesserae detachment has been highlighted during the restoration plan. The biofilm microbial consortium has been investigated by an integrate approach based on Microscopy analysis (O.M., C.L.S.M.), in vitro culture (Nutrien and Saboraud media) and molecular biology investigation (DNA target sequence amplification, sequencing, sequence analysis). A microbial diversity has been revealed belonging to bacteria (Bacillus) and fungi (Alternaria, Aspergillus), besides cyanobacteria (Chroococcus) and green algae (Chlorella). In order to control the biofilm colonization two essential oils (EO), Thymus vulgaris and Origanum vulgare, have been utilized and their antimicrobial activity, preliminarily in vitro (agar disc diffusion methods) and after ex situ and in situ evaluated. This experimentation is aimed at identifying and implementing green biocides for the control of microbial colonization, a promising technology with a reduced impact on human health and environment, able to replace traditional biocide action.

Nuraghes are megalithic structures with a truncated conic tower, even more than twenty metres tall, with a circular plan and a central chamber covered by a faux vault. Some of these towers were fortified with turreted ramparts, often bordered by large walls to create imposing structures. Built from the sixteenth to the twelfth century BC, with over 7,000 monuments, they characterise the whole of Sardinia. These structures, which have been reused for various purposes up to this very day, feature a very diverse flora ranging from lichens to bryophytes and from small herbs to large trees. There are 385 nuraghes with plant names belonging to 80 different species. The analysis of the flora at 21 sites, located in the various parts of the island, ranging from sea level up to a maximum altitude of 1200 m, has led to the identification of 220 species living on the walls of the towers, on the ramparts and walls and on the roofs. The various components of the life-forms and the role that plants play in the broader ecological and landscape context are highlighted.

This review includes the data concerning the presence of Tamarix species in old and contemporary landscapes, and their presence in archaeological areas. Their role as wild and ornamental plants, their use in sacred places, and their depiction in old relief sculpture, old and more recent paintings is also reported. Notes on the presence of Tamarix species in current landscapes and their invasiveness are discussed.

The growth and spreading of environmental law for scientific and health protection, - together with the landscape that responds to more historical, aesthetic and cultural principles, represent an evolution of living law directly proportional to the ability of right operators to share with the scientific community the multiple problems and reflections of development risks . The right balance between scientific and technological evolution and the management of its voluntary or involuntary, regulated or regulated introduction into nature are the main challenges of scale application of what has become one of the fundamental principles of international law and single Nations: the precautionary principle. Sicily and the park of Selinunte tell us through the variety of its plants a part of history: the anthropological and zootechnical passage of the human and animal migratory flows that have characterized the testimony of the past. The environmental changes have been voluntary, responding to aesthetic decisions and in other cases occasional and voluntary. The environmental and biodiversity protection, expressed in national and international law, are today the main tools to manage risks with prudence and potential forecasts. The natural landscape, emblem of what is historically presumed to have been ab origine in comparison with the cultural landscape, i.e. the intertwining of the many human passages that have intervened over the centuries, offers an important starting...

Mediterranean botanic gardens represent a rich and diverse cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. They include spectacular landscapes and the plantings include many important introductions of both ornamental and economically important species. The gardens also contain many buildings of great architectural merit, some historic, some modern. Also important are the historic glasshouses and shade houses. Many of these gardens contain important herbarium collections that have served a key role in the preparation of Floras and major botanical libraries containing historical works of great value as well as works of art, sculptures paintings, drawings, and other illustrations and invaluable historic archives. The intangible cultural heritage of these gardens is represented by the impact that they have had the inhabitants of the cities and towns in which they are located and on generations of visitors – students, professionals and the public. With the decline of teaching and research in botany as a university discipline, some of these collections are at risk of dispersal or an even worse fate. In the face of these uncertainties a series of proposals to help safeguard this invaluable heritage is given, including the compilation of an inventory of these historically important buildings, libraries, works of art and archives and the use of the latest scanning and imaging techniques so that a visual record is prepared

Italy is one of the richest countries in historical and artistic heritage. The occurrence of vascular plants on monuments has always been analysed with some concern about conservation issues of the buildings. In order to present a framework of floristic research done in Italy within the archaeological areas and monumental sites in the country, the list of the basic references is presented. These 97 contributions are divided by publication date, area, and main historical period or civilization to which the complex refers. The most studied archaeological areas belong to the Roman civilization and occur in Latium and Sicily

This review include the data concerning the presence of representations of fungi since prehistoric times. Particular attention is paid to their use in magical rituals, in nutrition and as a remedy for certain diseases. The work also examines some examples of megaliths whose shape recalls that of a mushroom, and the role of mushrooms in anthracological studies. Finally, data on the presence of mushrooms, some of them rare, of reforested areas and residual dune systems within the Archaeological Park of Selinunte are reported.

In the last decades, with the increase of molecular studies, the study of plant forms has gone through a steady decline in interest, and researches on this topic are often neglected and underestimated. Notwithstanding, comparative morphology as integrative discipline still assumes a pivotal role in modern sciences, remaining fundamentally relevant to nearly all fields of plant biology, such as systematics, evolutionary biology, ecology, physiology, genetics, molecular biology, not to mention also agriculture, bioengineering, and forensic botany. Contrary to common belief, plant morphology is not a conservative finished science, but, like other sciences, it is open to constant innovations involving both concepts and methods. This contribution aims to promote a reflective discourse on the role of plant morphology in modern sciences and provides some examples of significant supports from plant morphology to different botanical issues.

Potentilla greuteriana Kyriak., Kamari, Kofinas & Phitos is a new species of P. sect. Plumosistylae, known from two localities (summit Xerovouni and Langada gorge) on Mt. Taigetos (S Peloponnisos). The habitat of this Potentilla species is black bituminous, deeply karstified limestone. The closest relative of P. greuteriana is P. arcadiensis, which is distributed on the neighbouring Mt. Parnonas (E Peloponnisos), but belongs, to P. sect. Crassinerviae. The main morphological differences between the new species and its related taxa of P. sect. Crassinerviae (P. ulrichii, P. nerimaniae, P. davisii) and P. sect. Plumosistylae (P. libanotica and P. isaurica) are discussed. Additionally, the conservation status of this species is provided.

On the basis of the literature examined, the scientific acquisitions concerning the pharmacological properties and medicinal uses of Ambrosia artemisiifolia and Erigeron canadensis – two American vascular plants of Asteraceae family that have become invasive in Europe and others continents – are collected and discussed. The data reveal the potential of the invasive as cheap sources of compounds with valuable pharmacological activities. In addition to the two plants presented as a case study, there are hundreds of plant species at hand as potential assets to explore and make money.

The Mediterranean lands are ideal sites for providing any kind of green food. In this scenery Sicily may really be considered a Treasure Island. The known benefits from Mediterranean diet, and the ever-increasing awareness of the benefits from consumption of fruits and vegetables, generated a great input in researching about typical Sicilian species and their impact on human health. We first investigated properties and bioactivity of cactus pear fruits [Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.] and its characteristic phytochemicals, betanin and indicaxanthin. The latter, only occurring in the cactus pear among the edible fruits, has been the object of most of our research. Chemical, physico-chemical, antioxidant and reducing properties, as well as bioactivities, from anti-inflammatory to anti-proliferative, have been described in various systems, cell cultures and animal models. Moreover, we ascertained that indicaxanthin is highly bioavailable in man, making a real link between experimental set-ups and potential activity in the body. In other studies on bioactive polymeric proanthocyanidin components of Sicilian pistachio (Pistacia vera L.), we observed inhibition of the inflammatory response triggered by cytokine IL-1B in human intestinal epithelial cells, suggesting beneficial effects for the gastro-intestinal pathophysiology. Other investigations on extracts of caper (Capparis spinosa L.) showed antioxidative activity of caper, including the capacity of reducing...

An analysis of the bryophyte diversity in the studied Sicilian archaeological areas was conducted, highlighting which species are more common and potentially harmful on the ruins. The floras are much diversified and the presence of some rare taxa highlights the role of refuge carried out by these areas, especially for the species of strongly threatened coastal habitats. Attention on the complexity of the relationships between restoration interventions on lithic structures and conservation needs of the rare and interesting taxa is point out.

Morocco’s ecosystems, like the ones of the other southern and eastern Mediterranean countries, have been for decades undergoing very harsh anthropo-zoogenic pressure. Threats of regression or even extinction of plant (and animal) species are real and serious. Researchers and decision makers are all encouraged to work hard for the conservation of the national biodiversity. In order to achieve this goal with full knowledge, an inventory of the situation seemed essential. This is how the idea of a Red Data Book emerged. The project "Red Data Book of the vascular flora of Morocco" is currently very well advanced. A first version was published, between November 2016 and November 2018, in ten fascicles, via the website of the Tela-Botanica Association, in order to collect suggestions, comments and complements from the botanical community. The Red Data Book deals with all the existing or doubtful plant species in Morocco, whatever their status: natural, naturalized or adventitious. They are classified according to the IUCN Red List Categories (World Union for Nature), slightly amended. For Categories VU (Vulnerable), EN (Endangered) and CR (Critically Endangered) species, the following information is provided: biological type, world distribution and distribution in Morocco. The Red Data book also provides an updated national floristic inventory, with updated nomenclature and taxonomy

On the Macereto plateau (Monti Sibillini, Central Apennines), at elevation between 800 and 1150 m, there is a settlement of round, dry-wall stone huts with conical rooves, similar to huts existing in other towns of the south-central Apennines. The huts served as shelter for shepherds and peasants during the period 1700-1940. All the huts of Macereto have collapsed, and the remaining stones from the walls and vault favor secondary succession by species of the following vegetation classes: Asplenietea rupestris, Sedo-Scleranthetea, Thlaspietea rotundifolii, Rhamno-Prunetea and Querco Fagetea. In particular, three shrub associations develop on the remaining piles of stones: Milio vernalis-Aceretum campestris, Galio aparine-Prunetum mahaleb and Cytisophyllo sessilifolii-Prunetum spinosae, which are typical of the meso-temperate altitudinal belt. Also present is Atadinus alpinus (Rhamnus alpina), a species of the supra-temperate belt, but which grows at lower altitudes where it is favored by the piles of stones, giving rise to these subassociations: Milio venalis-Aceretum campestris atadinetosum alpini, Galio aparine-Prunetum mahaleb atadinetosum alpini and Cytisophyllo sessilifolii-Prunetum spinosae atadinetosum alpini.

For long time in scientific botany the genus Gundelia (Compositae) was treated with only one polymorphic species Gundelia tournefortii L. When finding new populations in Armenia it was realized, that several species are hidden in the variety. At the moment 15 species are accepted as distinct taxa. The genus can be found from Turkey eastwards to Afghanistan, southwards to Israel and Iraq. The centre of diversity is in Eastern Turkey.

The paleoendemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile represents a key species of the most important and productive ecosystem in subtidal habitats of the Mediterranean Sea. This species is the most common seagrass in Sicily where it forms dense and extensive beds, which are characterized by high coverage and primary production values. The beaching of P. oceanica detritus (banquette) can be an environmental, economic and social problem, if it comes into conflict with a number of activities (tourism, bathing establishments, etc.). Even though seagrasses play a fundamental ecological role in limiting coastal erosion and promoting the origin of the coastal dunes, the presence of P. oceanica detritus along the coasts can negatively decrease the tourism value of beaches. As a result, according to national and regional laws and guidelines, local authorities are required to remove banquette and to accumulate it in landfills. In this survey, the ancient exploitation and current uses of P. oceanica detritus are reported according to literature data. Moreover P. oceanica detritus were used to replace soil in an experimental installation located at the University of Palermo. Meanwhile, continuous temperature values measurements by using hobo data logger sensors were carried out. The results confirm the thermal insulation role of this material and highlight potential applications in the field of Soil Bioengineering

In classical antiquity many plant species were a source of inspiration in art and architecture. An emblematic case is Acanthus mollis, a Western Mediterranean species, although many Mediterranean countries Floras are in contradiction with respect to its native distribution. Two subspecies are known: A. mollis subsp. mollis distributed in Italy, France and Croatia, and A. mollis subsp. platyphyllus growing in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. In other Mediterranean countries it should be an introduced taxon, such as in Greece and Turkey where the native species is A. spinosus. Although the maximum spread of the Acanthus leaf in architecture occurred in Roman times, the Corinthian capital was born in Greece, portraying A. mollis. Among the earliest examples we remember the Doric Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae in Peloponnese, built in 450-425 BC. probably by Ictino, the Tholos at Epidaurus (360-330 BC.), characterized by Doric columns in the exterior, while the inner colonnade consists of 14 Corinthian columns. The leaf carved in the stone is unequivocally A. mollis. The invention of the Corinthian capital is attributed, without certain proof, both to Callimaco and Ictino, which operated in Athens and in the Peloponnese. As this species was not present as native in Greece at that time, it was seen and designed taking inspiration from some place in Sicily or Magna Greece or from cultivated plants originating in those areas. The first examples of this...

The BRAIN (Botanical Records of Archaeobotany Italian Network) database and network was developed by the cooperation of archaeobotanists working on Italian archaeological sites. Examples of recent research including pollen or other plant remains in analytical and synthetic papers are reported as an exemplar reference list. This paper retraces the main steps of the creation of BRAIN, from the scientific need for the first research cooperation to the website which has a free online access since 2015.

The Villa Filangeri in Santa Flavia is among the most remarkable historical residences in the plane between Bagheria and Santa Flavia, south of Palermo. Built in 1742, in the last decades its garden has gradually lost its original richness and elegance. Presently its general structure is not still in good condition, and the plant heritage appears significantly varied and impoverished with respect to its original composition. Therefore, in the absence of recent surveys, the inventory of the present ornamental plant heritage was carried out. This, in order of adding new data to the ornamental flora of Sicilian parks and gardens and of giving a contribution to the possible restoration for public and cultural purposes.

This study aims to present a complete inventory of the vascular flora of the Archaeological Park of Selinunte. A total of 443 specific and infraspecific taxa are here reported. Fabaceae was the most collected family with 47 species. Asteraceae and Poaceae were the next largest families with 45 and 35 species, respectively. Euphorbia was the largest genus, represented by 9 species. The analysis of the biological spectrum of the vascular flora indicate the predominance of therophytes (42%) and hemicryptophytes (22%) while, from a chorological point of view, most of the species show a Mediterranean distribution. The presence of Cynara cardunculus subsp. zingaroensis (taxon endemic to W-Sicily) is reported for the first time for the investigated area.

The Sicilian hellebore (Helleborus bocconei subsp. intermedius) is an endemic plant of the family Ranunculaceae from southern Italy and Sicily. This plant is known for the traditional use of dried rhizomes for treating pneumonia in domestic animals, cattle and horses in particular. In recent years, this plant was subject to various ethnobotanical, phytochemical, morpho-anatomical and mycological investigations. In addition, lately, was evaluated antibacterial activity of Chaetomium strumarium strain RR1, an endophytic ascomycete of this plant. On the whole, the different phases of this study are here reported and can be interrelated. However, they support our initial hypothesis, that the therapeutic effect of the hellebore’s rhizomes extract is due to metabolites reputedly produced by an endophytic fungus.

Starch grains and phytoliths are often found trapped in dental calculus or on the surface of lithic grinding tools. In the last decades, their analysis provided new information about the dietary habits of ancient populations, a topic that has recently become the object of numerous researches by archaeobotanists, archaeozoologists and anthropologists. The study of these micro-remains not only indicates which plants were used for feeding purposes but may also highlight our ancestors’ ability to manipulate food.

The aim of this contribution is to make a reflection upon the methodological question of environmental mapping, aiming to reach a systematization proposal. It is assumed that the considerations made regarding the environment are not only directed to nature itself, but also to society. This elaboration begins through the study of the area of interest focusing on its thematic ramifications via analysis maps. After that, a synthesis approach is made which would confirm analysis characterized by groups of features or variables – the Types of environment – also present in relevant literature on types of landscapes, which would be traced over the synthesis map.

This is a short description of the Herb Garden (Orto dei Semplici Elbano) of Rio nell’Elba. Dedicated to the cultivation of endemic or significant plants of the Tuscan Archipelago, it was also created to save varieties of fruit trees typical of the island of Elba, such as some grapevines, fig trees, plum trees, etc. The garden is placed in an area adjacent to an ancient hermitage dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria that has become an important cultural centre for the promotion of scientific activities - botany in particular - as well as the arts, literature and music. The garden has been open to the public since 1996.

Some frescoes of the small building of the Oratory of San Pellegrino (Bominaco – village of Caporciano, in the Navelli plain) are illustrated and commented for the first time from a botanical point of view. In addition to a general commentary of the works, a description is provided of the botanical details and the landscape view of the two cycles of Christ’s Childhood and Passion. While the floral elements linked to the tradition are repeated, such as stylised lilies and acanthi, there are new floral motifs of some oval and heart-shaped plants that can perhaps be attributed to violets throughout their vegetative cycle until flowering and fructification. A comment is made about the trees portrayed with sinuous lines and thick crown from which the leaves emerge; finally, some forms similar to acanthi can be referred to plants of cabbage and cauliflower, which were grown in Benedictine monasteries.

A contribution to the knowledge of the vascular flora of Symi and the nearby island of Seskli is presented, being an update of the vascular flora of Symi and Seskli islands, 32 years after the first checklist published by Carlström. The occurrence of Limonium hirsuticalyx is reported on Symi for the first time; for Seskli, 41 new floristic records are provided, in addition to a species inquirenda: Limonium cfr. hirsuticalyx / meyeri. The strong floristic affinity between Symi and SW Anatolia, to which Symi was linked until the upper Pleistocene, is confirmed by the large number of rangerestricted and rare taxa occurring on Symi and for the most part shared with the Muğla province in SW Anatolia. Despite its relatively recent insular isolation, Symi hosts a fair rate of endemics, including three single-island endemics: Allium symiacum, A. panormitisi and Origanum symes.