Table of Contents

The history of the floristic exploration of Sardinia mainly centres round the works of G.G. Moris, who in the first half of the XIX century described most of the floristic patrimony of the island. But it is important to know the steps he took in his census, the areas he explored, his publications, motivations and conditions under which he wrote the "Stirpium sardoarum elenchus" and the three volumes of "Flora sardoa", a work moreover which he left incomplete. Merit is due to Moris for bringing the attention of many collectors, florists and taxonomists to the Flora of the Island, individuals who in his foot-steps helped to complete and update the floristic inventory of the island. Research into the history of our knowledge of the Sardinian Flora relies heavily on the analysis of botanical publications, but many other sources (nonbotanical texts, chronicles of the period, correspondence) also furnish important information. Finally, the names, dates and collection localities indicated on the specimens preserved in the most important herbaria were fundamental in reconstructing the itineraries of the sites Moris visited. All these sources allowed us to clarify several aspects of the expeditions, floristic collections and results of his studies. The "discovery phase" of Sardinian Flora can be considered over by the end of the XIX century with the publication of the "Compendium" by Barbey (1884-1885) and "Flora d'Italia" by Fiori & Paoletti (1896-1908).

Contributions to the taxonomy of some genera and species of the Sardinian flora are presented. In particular, one species (Narcissus supramontanus) and a sub-species (N. supramontanus subsp. cunicularius) are described as new for the Island. The status of two subspecies of S. insularis Sommier within the genus Sesleria has been changed. Other contributions concern typification of Delphinium gracile Moris, D. cyatophorus Moris and Verbascum plantagineum Moris and the report of the occurrence of Bifora radians Bieb. and Bromus macrantherus Hackel ex Enriques in Sardinia. Revision of the relevant material has allowed better definition of the occurrence on the Island of some taxa belonging to the genera Delphinium, Aphanes and Sanguisorba.

The geographical position of the Salento peninsula (Apulia, Italy) is very peculiar, in the centre of the Mediterranean basin: here, eastern and western Mediterranean come together creating a variety of exclusive landscapes and vegetation types.

Two annual species belonging to genus Anthoxanthum L. s. l. (Poaceae: Pooideae) (Anthoxanthum aristatum Boiss. and A. ovatum Lag.) occur in the Iberian Peninsula where several infra-specific taxa have been described. Nevertheless, the taxonomical treatment of these taxa has been widely discussed throughout the 20th century. The purpose of this study was to provide information to help clarify the morphological relationships between these taxa. To achieve this aim, six wild populations from Doñana National Park (Andalusia, Spain) were analysed. In these populations several taxa grew in simpatry. A total of 24 traits (quantitative and qualitative) were considered in 389 specimens. The number of individuals collected per population was variable depending on the morphological variation observed. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the program SPSS 11.0. A principal component analysis was carried out to select the most interesting traits to characterise each taxon. These traits were then used to establish relationships among populations applying the Phi coefficient for qualitative data and the Manhattan distance for quantitative data. These relationships were summarised in two phenograms using UPGMA clustering methods.

During the survey on the state of bryofloristic knowledge of the Pauli at the Giara di Gesturi (South Central Sardinia) 56 entities (50 Bryophyta and 6 Marchantiophyta) were found. Chronological and ecological considerations have been also made.

The aim of the present paper is to get a deep insight into the taxonomy of the species belonging to Centaurea subgenus Acrolophus with special concern to the sect. Dissectae (Hayek) Dostál. Stress should be laid on the considerable ecological uniformity characterizing this subgenus. In fact, almost all of the taxa belonging to it very frequently occur in calcareous rocky habitats. An attempt to assess the status of taxa within the sect. Dissectae has been made in comparison with the treatments by Fiori and later Pignatti. In conclusion two intraspecific taxa of earlier authors raised to specific rank resulting in one new name being proposed.

Delphinium bolosii (Ranunculaceae) and Thymus loscosii (Lamiaceae) are the only two species in Catalan flora listed in the Spanish Catálogo Nacional de Especies Amenazadas (CNEA) as ‘at risk of extinction’ (BOE 1990). In the framework of an agreement with the Department of Environment of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DMA, Catalan Autonomous Government), threeyear studies have been carried out in order to obtain the scientific bases necessary to prepare the conservation strategy for those species. The survey included pollination ecology and genetic diversity as well as chorological and demographic aspects. We also reevaluated their categories using the new IUCN criteria (2001). The results obtained showed that the low level of threat to the gynodioecious species Thymus loscosii (LR, ‘lower risk’ according to IUCN), does not require a strict recovery plan because it has a sufficient number of individuals, proper biological and reproductive functioning and a lack of direct threats, at least in Catalonia. However, some populations may be locally threatened and the species might become rare in some territories. Therefore we simply recommend a management plan and the long-time monitoring of some selected populations. On the other hand, Delphinium bolosii is EN (‘endangered’) given the low number of populations and individuals (three known populations, one of them extinct, and less than 3,500 individuals), low genetic diversity and threats to its habitat (t...

The flora and vegetation of the most interesting phytogeographic zones of Dhofar are briefly described here through a S-N ideal transect starting from the coastal plain by the Arabian sea to the Saudi Arbian border, for about 300 km across.

Some aspects of the vegetation of Dhofar (Southern Oman) are here presented taking into account woods where the genus Anogeissus is dominant, plant community of Adansonia digitata and scrublands with Boswellia sacra.

A new species, Dipsacus valsecchii, endemic to Sardinia is described. It is close to D. ferox Loisel. and D. fullonum L., the two other species occurring in the Island. Some critical remarks on their distribution and ecology are also given.

Structural features of two regions of seeds of 15 species of Genisteae were investigated by scanning electron microscopy procedure. Six basic microstructures types were found when analysing surface upper ×1000 magnification. Differences between the studied areas are clear; therefore the area of observation is relevant in order to find comparable patterns among different taxa.

We present a study of the Sociedad Botánica Barcelonesa herbarium, carried out in a project which involves the documentation, computerization and revision of the historical herbaria conserved in the Botanical Institute of Barcelona. This society exchanged plants from 1872 to 1878 and was the first of this kind in Spain. The herbarium contains 1.211 sheets collected in Spain (58%), France (25%), Italy (13%) and other Mediterranean countries (6%). Among the most important collectors we highlight Gandoger, Negri, R. Bolòs, Vayreda, Rodríguez Femenías, Loscos or Costa. We present the transcription of the labels of six type sheets (Allium purpureum Loscos, Antirrhinum ruscinonense Debeaux, Arenaria minutiflora Loscos, Chaenorhinum thymiflorum Loscos, Cressa loscosii Trèmols in Loscos and Delphinium loscosii Costa) and other specimens of taxonomical or corological interest such as Nothobartsia spicata or Carex bicolor.

A new species of Limonium from Tunisia, named L. elphasianum, is described and illustrated. Its ecology, chorology and relationships with the allied-species are examined.

Germination of seeds from 179 populations belonging to 10 taxa of Lotus L. sect. Lotus collected in Spain, Portugal, Italy and France is studied. Seeds of different ages were sown to check where germination percentage and germination dynamics could change with age. Results of this paper indicate that time elapsed by seeds to start germination is rather short. Values of t 50 (time elapsed to complete 50 % germination of the total germinated seeds) shown a general decrease with age both in annual and perennial taxa, more pronounced in the former than in the later. Results demonstrate that there are clear differences in germination percentages and germination dynamics between annual and perennial taxa. Some hypotheses are given to explain these differences.

Project BIOGEO, financed by the Spanish Ministery of Sciences and Technology has the aim of organising, co-ordinate and make available information on plants of Andalusia (S Spain) and N Morocco. It will be developed by tree teams of taxonomists, ecologist and biogeographers centered in Sevilla, Barcelona and Jaén. A checklist of the vascular plants which occur in the territory, a chorological atlas and the establishment of biogeographical areas will be the main results of the project. Floristical affinities amongst these areas will be established and analysed.

Oncostema maireana, a new species belonging to O. peruviana group, is described and illustrated from Cap Bon (Tunisia). Its ecology, chorology and relationships with O. cupani are examined.

The therophytic flora of Sardinia has been split into four main groups, basing on the ecologic requirements of species. The following groups have been recognized: flora of dry entisoils, flora of periodically swampy or submerged entisoils, flora of coastal sites, flora of fields, road edges and human settlements. Either, most frequent or exclusive species were ascribed to each group. A species was considered “exclusive” when its relative frequency outside a given group was estimated ?10%. Differences have been highlighted within the groups, dealing with chorology, growth form, flowering time, colour of flowers, pollination and seed dispersal strategies.

In order to determine the Orobanche L. Sect. Orobanche species living in Andalusia, as well as their geographical distribution, a survey was carried out, together with a revision of the main national and regional herbaria. Twenty different taxa have been identified and their regional distribution is analysed in comparison with the distribution provided in Flora iberica.

The botanical interest of peatlands from Xistral and Ancares Mountains (NW Iberian Peninsula) is analysed to assess the importance of their conservation. These peatlands are old ecosystems whose origin goes back to the time of complete melting away of the ice in the last glaciation. Since then, they have served as genetic reservoir for many species. As a consequence, these ecosystems present numerous endemic and relict taxa with restricted distribution in the Iberian Peninsula. The environmental importance of these ecosystems and their floristic particularities support the need to establish management plans to assure their conservation.

Distribution and ecology of Taxus baccata in Sicily have been analyzed in order to evaluate its status with restoration purposes. Field surveys compared with historical information have shown that, even if this species became extinct since a long time in some areas of the island, the extant population on the Nebrodi mountains is expanding. This inverted process, following the foundation of the Regional Natural Park of Nebrodi, has clearly started soon after protection against grazing and other human activities has been acted in localities where Taxus occurs. The most important cause of extinction has therefore been identified in the cutting of trees practiced to prevent livestock poisoning, then, guidelines for conservation and restoration of T. baccata both in Sicily and in other Mediterranean regions subject to similar human pressure have been outlined.

Andalusian endangered plant protection is achieved through four diferent actions. Protected natural areas which cover more than 21% of the Andalusian territory and include from National Parks to concerted natural reserves; species protection, with 191 endangered species, protected by law; the establishment of a network of 11 botanic gardens for nature conservation, and the establishment of an Andalusian Germplasm Bank.

Some notes on the flora of Sassarese (North-Western Sardinia) and its modifications in the last century in connection with changes in land use are here discussed. Although the study area was heavily urbanised, especially in the last few decades, and had a long history of agricultural and pastoral use, its flora is still very diversified and rich and this, somehow, is strictly related to the land use. However the disappearance of some taxa, especially from wet habitats (springs, watercourses, temporary wet areas, etc.) as Hydrophyte and Helophyte, is pointed out. Other taxa are strongly threatened because of habitat fragmentation or heavy changes in land use.

In the framework of floristic research programs carried out in the limestone mountain range of the Gulf of Orosei (Province of Nuoro- Central Eastern Sardinia), the authors wish to highlight the rich endemic component present at Codula di Luna. Fifty-eight floristic entities belonging to 28 families and 49 genera were found. Of these, 21 are exclusive to Sardinia, 13 are Sardinian-Corsican, 7 in common with Corsica and the Tuscan archipelago and 3 with Sicily, whereas the others exhibit a wider distribution area. The most widely represented families are Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Scrophulariaceae and Fabaceae. Following our field observations, we present details on their ecology, distribution and rarity.

We examined the genetic variation at 12 isozyme loci at 14 populations of Matthiola (Brassicaceae) representing the distribution of the species Matthiola incana, M. fruticulosa and M. tricuspidata in the Sicilian insular system and adjacent mainland areas to gain insight into the levels of variation. While the low polymorphism indicators for M. incana subsp. incana are consistent with its presumptive origin through cultivation and the associated lack of gene flow, M. incana subsp. pulchella and M. incana subsp. rupestris have only slightly higher indices of polymorphism and they are probably neo-endemics. By contrast, the Sicilian populations M. tricuspidata and M. fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa have maintained a moderate-to-high polymorphism through an abundant genetic interchange. These two latter species are also closer genetically than each of them to M. incana.

The Alimini Lakes site is an extremely interesting area from the environmental point of view, located near Otranto, in the Province of Lecce, Apulia, Italy. In this work the floristic diversity of the site is analysed, remarking its peculiarities and the natural habitats of Community Interest.

Due to its frequent hybridisation and introgressions in the Iberian Peninsula, the genus Quercus, comprises several taxonomic problems. After revising the morphology of different species in central (Quercus broteroi, Q. faginea and Q. pyrenaica) and southern Iberian Peninsula (Q. broteroi, Q. canariensis, Q. lusitanica, Q. pyrenaica and Q. broteroi × Q. canariensis), molecular biology techniques are used to find out their possible relationships. This work presents a preliminary study of the variability in several groups of Quercus using RFLPs.

The seed micromorphology of Cypripedium calceolus L. from spanish populations is described. Morphology of the seed and the cells, measures (length, width) and characteristics of the periclinal and anticlinal walls are analyzed. The resulting data are compared with others from Russian and North American populations.

The results of karyological and isoenzymatic analyses carried out to verify the hybrid status of Hieracium symphytifolium proposed by Zahn and to evaluate the within population genetic variability of this taxon are reported. The purposed parents of H. symphytifolium i.e. H. lucidum and H. crinitum and, in addition, H. pignattianum were also examined. The karyological analyses showed that H. symphytifolium is tetraploid (2_n_=36) while the H. crinitum is triploid (2_n_=27). Concerning the isoenzymatic analysis, 13 loci from 8 systems (ADH, IDH, LAP, MDH, 6PGD, PGI, PGM and SKD) were examined. A total of 23 alleles were recognised, 20 of them in H. symphytifolium one of them exclusive. H. symphytifolium shows the largest genetic distance from H. lucidum. Considering these results, the geographical distribution relevant and some remarkable morphological characters with respect to the assumed parents, the hybrid origin of H. symphytifolium from H. lucidum and H. crinitum is not confirmed.

The trachyte-basalt biogeographic sub-district of the north-western Sardinian district, included in the coastal and hill sub-sector of the Sardinian sector, is characterised by two large effusive complexes: Rhyolites, Andesites and Dikes of the Oligo-Miocenic limestone/alkaline cycle (14- 32 Myrs), and alkaline Basalts, Rhyolites, Rhyodacites and Dikes of the volcanic cycle with alkaline, transitional and sub-alkaline affinity of Pliocene-Pleistocene (0.14-5.3 Myrs). Between 2000 and 2002, 508 floristic/vegetation surveys were carried out on plant communities in order to improve the botanical knowledge and characterise this area biogeographycally. Floristic analysis, still in progress, led to detect 476 subgeneric taxa, as many as 23% of Sardinian flora. Among them, 44 endemics were found, as many as 20.5% of the Sardinian endemic flora. In the light of these results, the trachyte-basalt sub-region is characterised, with respect to the Sardinian flora, by significantly higher percentages of hemicryptophytes and lower percentages of therophytes; an increase in Eurimediterranean taxa is highlighted, whereas orophylous taxa are lower than the regional average; among the Mediterranean ones, the occurrence of a large number of western taxa stands out and is higher than the regional average, whereas eastern taxa are totally lacking.

The correlation between environmental qualitu and the floristic richness in Sicilu has been analyzed. In particular, data concerning vegetation and its deterioration stages have been related with their relevant floristic richness in order of both providing a map of the environmental sensitiveness of the regione and a first item of methodological interest for applied studies. The results show that a considerable plant diversity is mostly confined in small areas characterized by a high naturalness.