Table of Contents

The paper surveys the variability, ecology, and distribution of the wild relatives of food crops (cereals, legumes, oil and fiber plants, vegetables, condiments, fruits and nut trees) native to Armenia and Nakhichevan. It focuses on the close wild relatives, i.e., members of the primary wild gene pools (GP-1) of the crops. The wild relatives of about 80 crops were surveyed; and the available information on the distribution (in Armenia and Nakhichevan)) of most of these relatives is also illustrated by 93 site distribution maps.

The authors report on the results obtained from the research project carried out on the promontory of Capo Malfatano (Southern Sardinia). The flora, completely new, consists at the present time of 255 entities and is grouped in 57 families and 186 genera. We find in this area a floristic component poor in endemic species, dominated by Mediterranean elements, annual cycle species and of R & S strategy. The floristic listing shows also the species present on the walls of the tower which might well contribute to the deterioration of this monument. Vegetation cover is dominated by phytocoenoses typical of the thermo-Mediterranean coastal strip in which evident factors of human and animal disturbance may be noted. The low woodland, with Juniperus turbinata and Olea europaea var. sylvestris with Pistacia lentiscus represents the most mature aspect of vegetation. In the interior there are dense formations of Calicotome villosa while in those areas marked by steep slopes we find a predominance of growths of Euphorbia dendroides.

Gypsophila pilosa Hudson was recently recorded as a weed in reclaimed farmland east of Assiut town (Egypt), previously known from Libya, Palestine, Turkey and Iran. The occurrence of this species in the Nile region of Egypt fills the gap of its distribution between Palestine (Southwest Asia) and Libya (North Africa) and represents the southernmost limit of its distribution. Seed coat sculpture and pollen morphology of Gypsophila pilosa Hudson are investigated by LM and SEM. Epidermal cell patterns, anticlinal cell boundaries, and periclinal cell walls as seen by SEM as well as pollen shape, size, aperture and exine sculpture and structure proved to be of high diagnostic value.

Given herein are the results of bryological explorations conducted on Isola dei Cavoli, a small island off the southeastern tip of Sardinia. Thirty-three specie in seven families belonging to the Musci and Hepaticae classes were found. Besides some ecological and phytogeographical evaluations, the cartographic representation on the U.T.M. grid of the distribution of species over the island is also given, together with an analysis of the chorological elements.

This paper presents a chorological, biological, and ecological analysis of the wild vascular flora of Mesolongi city, which consists of 346 taxa. 234 taxa are reported here for the first time. Fourteen chorological groups are distinguished in Mesolongi, with the Mediterranean element (44%) being dominant. Forty-five taxa are adventives, and their origins, times and methods of introduction are discussed. In the life-form spectrum, therophytes are over-represented (53.5%). Ecological groups are defined with respect to four significant parameters: warmth, moisture, soil reaction, and salt stress.

This contribution presents the results of the floristic research carried out on Monte Perda ‘e Liana, one of the most characteristic Mesozoic calcareous formations of centre-eastern Sardinia. The found floristic component numbers 247 taxa that can be ascribed to 57 families and 176 genera. The endemic quota is made up of 44 species or 17.81% of the local flora mostly ascribed to the Sardinian sector. The analysis of the biological forms has pointed out a high percentage of hemicryptophytes and therophytes; while the chorological spectrum has shown the dominance of steno and euri Mediterranean elements.

The status of variously described subspecies or varieties of Scirpoides holoschoenus is evaluated, with to the conclusion that only two subspecies should be recognized from the Azores to Turkestan and Punjab: S. holoschoenus subsp. holoschoenus and S. holoschoenus subsp. australis. Another subspecies occurs disjunctly in southern Africa: S. holoschoenus subsp. thunbergii. From the author’s field work in Sardinia, it emerges that only Scirpoides holoschoenus subsp. holoschoenus occurs in Sardinia. Cyperus badius is considered a species of its own, showing considerable and constant differences from C. longus. The latter was not found in Sardinia, while C. badius is widespread.

A list of 157 species of lichens and lichenicolous fungi is reported from the Mavigliano Wood (Calabria, S Italy). Eight species are new to Calabria. The flora contains some interesting indicators of air purity and long ecological continuity of the woods. A small station hosting foliicolous lichens has also been found. The biodiversity is remarkably high for a site next to an incinerator with a great environmental impact.

In the present paper some preliminary results from the biosystematic investigations on Bulgarian Dryopteris are reported. Differences between D. affinis (Lowe) Fraser-Jenk. subsp. borreri (Newman) Fraser-Jenk. and D. filix-mas (L.) Schott as well as illustrations showing some morphological characters of leaves and perispore sculpture are presented. Plants of D. affinis subsp. borreri from 6 localities were checked cytologically. All specimens investigated turned out to be triploid with 2n = 123. This is the first count for the taxon from Bulgaria. D. affinis subsp. borreri in Bulgaria is much rarer than D. filix-mas. A map of distribution is also given. D. affinis subsp. borreri was always found in the presence of D. filix-mas. The habitat requirements are noted.

This work reports a list of 343 infrageneric taxa of lichens known from the Iblean region (SE Sicily). Verrucaria phaeosperma is new to Sicily, 47 taxa are new to the Iblean territory. The list includes 5 dubious record.

Chromosome counts of the species of Mentha L. (Labiatae) (mint) found in the North Anatolian region of Turkey (A3-A9) are reported. The following chromosome numbers are new counts to Turkish Mentha: Mentha pulegium L. 2n=20, M. aquatica L. 2n=96, M. suaveolens Ehrh. 2n=24, M. longifolia (L.) Hudson subsp. longifolia 2n=24, 2n=48, M. longifolia (L.) Hudson subsp. typhoides (Briq.) Harley var. typhoides 2n=24, M. spicata L. subsp. spicata 2n=48, M. ×dumetorum Schultes 2n=60, M. ×villosa-nervata Opiz 2n=36.

Pyrenogaster pityophilus, a rare gasteromycetes, is reported for the first time from Sicily (southern Italy). The new locality reported here is the third in all Europe. The status of rare species of this peculiar gasteromycetes is confirmed.

Information is provided about the distribution of a powdery mildew fungus species new for Israel, Neoerysiphe cumminsiana (U. Braun) U. Braun (Erysiphales), recorded on Crepis spp. and Phagnalon rupestre (L.) DC. A conclusion is reached about the possibility of discovering this fungus in some countries of southern Europe and in northern and southern Africa. The need is noted for the revision of powdery mildew specimens identified as Erysiphe cichoracearum DC. and collected in these regions on host plants belonging to Asteraceae.

Distributive and ecological data on thirty-five hypogeous and semi-hypogeous fungi from Sicily (southern Italy) are reported here. Nineteen taxa are new for the Sicilian mycobiota. The presence of Radiigera atrogleba and Setchelliogaster tenuipes var. rheophyllus is noteworthy

A new record of powdery mildew fungi, Sphaerotheca parietariae (Erysiphales, Ascomycota), is reported from the Ukraine for the first time. This species is new for the Mediterranean region and Europe. The fungus was recorded on a new host, Parietaria officinalis L. (Urticaceae), in the Crimean mountains (northeast of the Mediterranean region). The authors conclude that this species may occur in central and southern Europe and in the Mediterranean part of Asia.

Syntrichia papillosissima (Copp.) Loeske, here reported from Sicily, has been re-found for the first time in Italy since 1892.

L’étude du pollen, aux microscopes photonique et électronique à balayage, de Ferula communis, F. cossoniana, F. sauvagei et F. tingitana, a permis de constater une variation considérable dans sa morphologie ainsi qu’une caractérisation spécifique des quatre espèces marocaines: -F. tingitana a des pollens de grande taille, à type pollinique équatorialo-constricté fréquent à côté des types subrectangu.laire et ovale, ce dernier étant très rare; le tectum est strié-régulé, apparaît perforé au niveau polaire.

• F. sauvagei a des grains relativement petits et un tectum strié-régulé à portées columellaires moyennes, larges et souvent fusionnées au niveau polaire.
• F. cossoniana est bien distincte par des petits pollens à type pollinique variable : « subrhomboïdal, allongé », ovale et subrectangulaire; dans les deux premiers cas la surface tectale est homogène, alors que les pollens subrectangulaires ont le niveau polaire plus structuré que celui équatorial.
• Chez F. communis, les trois sous-espèces présentes au Maroc apparaissent peu distinctes: les sous-espèces brevifolia, sousseensis et genuina ont un pollen similaire où les grains ovales sont fréquents, cependant, la sous-espèce genuina se distingue par l’abondance de ces pollens et partage ce caractère avec la sous-espèce sousseensis. Les pollens ovales, présents à différente proportions chez toutes les espèces, seront, fort probablement, liés à une stérilité mâle.

Gigaspermum mouretii, unknown species in Italian peninsula, is newly reported from Sicily. Its scattered distribution includes only isolated localities in the Mediterranean area and in the Canary Islands.

This research deals with the Flora of Findikpinari plataeu. Between the years 1997-2002, by evaluating the collected 755 specimens, 52 family, 149 genera and 327 species were identified. The number of different taxa is 462. The number of endemic species is 85 (18.3 %). The distribution of taxa according to the phytogeographic region are as follows; Mediterranean elements 39 (8.4 %); East mediterranean elements 101 (21.8 %); Euxine elements 4 (0.8 %); IranoTuranian elements 57 (12.3 %) and Euro-Siberian elements 19 (4.1 %). The remaining 242 cosmopolitan or species of the whole phytogeographical region are undetermined. The largest familia according to number of the species is Fabaceae. The largest genus is Trifolium.

The bryophyte flora of Monte Conero Regional Park (Marche, C-Italy) has been studied for the first time and includes 104 taxa (9 hepatics and 95 mosses). Four hepatics and 13 mosses are newly recorded for the Marche region (C-Italy). Among these Didymodon sicculus is new for Italy and Trichostomopsis aaronis is a second report for Italy and the first for the Italian peninsula. An analysis of chorological elements is also given.

This work deals with the vascular and bryophyte flora of the territory of Enna (Erei Mountains), characterized by mesomediterranean upper termotype and subhumid upper ombrotype and by different types of substrata as calcarenite, marl-limestone, marl-clayey, clay, gypsum, limestone, deposited between the late Miocene and Quaternary period. An inventory of 618 vascular taxa subdivided into 76 families and 140 bryophytes subdivided into 29 families is presented. Biological and chorological data and notes on species habitats are provided. The tracheophyte chorological analysis highlights the dominance of Mediterranean species in line with the geographic position and climate of the studied area. Worthy of mention is the endemic contingent represented by 24 species, 8 of which are restricted to Sicily The vascular plants list includes species of notable phytogeographic significance as Serratula cichoracea subsp.cichoracea, occurring in Sicily in Enna only; Ophrys archimedea found in Sicily, in Enna and Palermo; Arrhenatherum nebrodense, distributed in Sicily prevalentely in the northern mountain ranges; Saxifraga hederacea, known in Italy, in Puglia and Sicily. The bryophyte chorological spectrum shows the dominance of Submediterranean and Temperate species in accordance with microclimatic features. Some bryophytes are new or rare for the Sicilian bryoflora: Weissia wimmeriana subsp. wimmeriana first record in Sicily; Syntrichia handelii, second record in...

The first record of Carex vesicaria from Sicily is reported. This circumboreal species, so far known from the peninsular regions of Italy and from Corsica, has been found in a marshy meadow within the Fagus sylvatica and Acer pseudoplatanus woody belt of the Nebrodi mountains (N-E Sicily). The phytocoenosis established in this locality is characterized by C. vesicaria itself together with a few other hygrophytes such as Galium elongatum, Mentha aquatica and Juncus effusus. This plant community belongs to a context of hygro-hydrophilous vegetation where marshy features characterized by Juncus striatus and Calliergonella cuspidata alternate with the lacustrine ones characterized by Potamogeton natans, Groenlandia densa and Apium inundatum.

This is the fourteenth 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 39 taxa: Genista, Stauracanthus, Adenocarpus and Teline from Morocco, by H. Tahiri, P. Cubas & C. Pardo (Nos 1376-1381); Petrorhagia, Silene and Lathyrus from Bulgaria, by D. Pavlova & A. Tocheva (Nos 1382-1386); Bunium, Chaetosciadium, Ferula and Tordylium from Syria, by J. V. Shner & T. A. Ostroumova (Nos 1387-1390); Bunium, Bupleurum, Chaerophyllum, Daucus, Echinophora, Ferulago, Grammosciadium, Johrenia, Leiotulus, Lisaea, Pimpinella, Prangos, Trigonosciadium and Trinia from Turkey, by J. V. Shner, M. G. Pimenov & E. V. Kljuykov (Nos 1391-1409); Genista from Portugal, Sicily and Spain, by T. Cusma Velari, L. Feoli Chiapella & V. Kosovel (Nos 1410 - 1412); Genista from Sardinia and Morocco, by T. Cusma Velari, L. Feoli Chiapella & G. Bacchetta (Nos 1413 - 1414).