Article

Bellevalia dubia (Guss.) Kunth is an uneommon geophyte of the arid and uncultivated grounds of Centrai Eastem Mediterranean area, with three subspecific units: Bellevalia dubia (Guss.) Kunth subsp. dubia (Southern Italy, Sieily and Dalmatia), B. dubia subsp. boissieri (Freyn) Feinbr. (Greece, Turkey and Eastern Mediterranean coasts) and B. dubia subsp. hackelii (Freyn) Feinbr. (Portugal). Biosystematic investigations on Bellevalia populations from Calabria and Sicily, carried out in Pisa Botanie Gardens, evidenced considerable differences among them. Only the Sicilian populations agree with the originai deseription of Belòevalia dubia; on the contrary, the Calabrian plants look similar to Bellevalia dubia subsp. boissieri. Accordingly, Bellevalia dubia subsp. dubia (Lectotype in NAP!) is to be eonsidered as a Sicilian endemic unit.