Article

In this contribution, new germination data for five Silene taxa coming from the natural habitats of Sicily and Calabria are given. The investigated taxa are: the threatened endemic S. calabra and S. crassiuscula, together with S. colorata, S. fruticosa, and S. nicaeensis from Sicilian sites. Seed germinations were tested at the Catania Germplasm Bank (BGS-CT), at constant temperatures (from 5 to 30°C), under both light (12/12h photoperiod) and total darkness conditions. The results emphasized a high germination ability and rate in all examined species.