Freshwater red algae belonging to the family Batrachospermaceae (Rhodophyta) are poorly investigated, particularly in Italy and in Sicily, where little is known about their distribution along rivers. The present study reports, for the first time, the occurrence of Lemanea fucina Bory in Italy and Paralemanea catenata (Kützing) Vis & Sheath in Sicily. L. fucina formed stalked, highly branched thalli and was characterised by an internal structure lacking a cortex around the central axis cell, T-shaped ray cells, and spermatangial papillae arranged in circular patches at the nodes. In contrast, P. catenata showed unstalked, unbranched to pseudobranched thalli arising from a basal crust and was characterised by a central axis composed of numerous cortical filaments and radial cells arranged in two layers: a proximal layer not reaching the outer cortex and a distal Y-shaped layer attached to the cortex, with nodal spermatangial sori arranged in rings. Both species were recorded along the Alcantara River, one of the main rivers in eastern Sicily. Information on the morphological and ecological characteristics of the two species is presented.
In lowlands, many species have been confined into small and isolated populations due to agricultural and industrial development, leading to constraints in generation turnover which may threaten their survival in the long run. Therefore, studies aimed at identifying such constraints must indeed be carried out. The populations of the hydro-hygrophilous Jacobaea paludosa are decreasing due to progressive habitat loss, water pollution and eutrophication. In order to assess possible reproductive constraints, in this study we have investigated: (a) the species’ self-compatibility and dependency on insect pollination, (b) the occurrence of pollination limitation, (c) differences in reproductive success between the study population and another population subjected to a reinforcement intervention conducted 10 years earlier. We performed a series of field pollination tests, including spontaneous selfing, natural pollination, hand self-pollination and pollen supplementation, as well as assessing reproductive fitness in terms of fruit production, cypselae vitality and seed germination ability. Other than providing insights into the reproductive ecology of the species, our results showed that supplementing capitula with pollen collected from a distinct population benefited seed germination within the study population. Altogether, these results indicate potential inbreeding depression and highlight the importance of focusing on populations as key units for identifying constraints in generation turnover and for implementing targeted conservation measures, thereby optimising resource allocation.
Alcea chrysantha (Malvaceae) is a medicinal plant with limited phytochemical characterization. This study aimed to provide the first profiling of its methanolic and aqueous extracts by determining total phenolic and flavonoid contents, evaluating antioxidant activity, and analyzing the essential oil composition. Methanolic and aqueous extracts were analyzed for total phenolic and flavonoid contents using standard spectrophotometric methods. Antioxidant activity was determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The methanolic extract exhibited higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents than the aqueous extract. The methanolic extract also demonstrated stronger antioxidant activity with an IC₅₀ value of 712.3 ± 6.46 μg/mL. The FRAP assay revealed that the methanolic extract had higher reducing power in comparison with the aqueous extract. GC–MS analysis of the essential oil identified more than 30 compounds, predominantly aliphatic hydrocarbons (91.01%) and minor diterpenes (0.68%). Results showed that A. chrysantha is a medicinal plant with high phenolic and flavonoid contents, good antioxidant activity, and that it is a promising source of bioactive compounds with potential applications in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and industrial sectors.
This study presents new chromosome numbers for two native Italian species: Crepis suffreniana (DC.) Steud. (Asteraceae), whose only Italian population is known for the Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli Regional Park in Tuscany, and Dianthus furcatus Balb. subsp. furcatus (Caryophyllaceae), a taxon distributed in Italy in the western Alps. Concerning C. suffreniana, our count confirms previously published reports from France. For D. furcatus subsp. furcatus, we report a hexaploid level, contrasting with previous studies on D. furcatus s.l. from the Italian Alps, which documented only the diploid level.
In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, and exclusions to the Italian administrative regions for taxa in the genera Angelica, Cuscuta, Dianthus, Ficus, Hieracium, Lamium, Laurus, Lomelosia, Lophiolepis, Nerium, Orchis, Pimpinella, Potentilla, Senecio, Thalictrum, and Trifolium. New combinations in the genera Festuca (Festuca × stacei, Poaceae) and Anemone (Anemone alpina subsp. austroalpina, Ranunculaceae) are proposed. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as Suppl. material 1.
The Ofanto River represents one of the main fluvial systems of southern Italy in terms of extent, ecological value, and landscape role. This study reconstructed the plant vegetation landscape along the riverbanks, from the source to the mouth of the river, through the development of a thematic cartography and the classification of habitats according to CORINE Biotopes codes. The approach integrated spatial analysis with field surveys, photointerpretation to validate in situ observations, and comparison with existing cartography. The analysis identified a total surface area of 26.97 km², with a clear predominance of riparian forests of Populus sp. pl. and Salix sp. pl. poplars and willows, covering 64.88% of the area. These are followed by Mediterranean downy oak woodlands (25.06%), temperate shrub lands with deciduous broadleaves (3.70%), conifer reafforestation (4.78%), and reed beds dominated by Phragmites australis (1.58%). The results highlight a gradient of increasing naturalness upstream, with riparian formations representing the structural backbone of the riverine ecological network. The study emphasizes the need for integrated management of the Ofanto corridors, focusing on the conservation of natural habitats, the control of invasive species, and the preservation of ecological connectivity across the landscape.
In this contribution, new data concerning algae, bryophytes, fungi and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new record and confirmations for the algal genera Chara, Closterium, and Ulva, the bryophyte genera Buxbaumia, Campylopus, Crossidium, Cryphaea, Dicranella, Dicranum, Flexitrichum, Geheebia, Grimmia, Lewinskya, Ptychostomum, Riccia, Schistidium, and Taxiphyllum, the fungal genera Clavaria, Inocybe, Lepiota, Phacopsis, Phloeomana, Tremella, and Zyzygomyces, and the lichen genera Anema, Bagliettoa, Cladonia, Gyalecta, Lepraria, Phaeophyscia, Polyblastia, Porina, Psilolechia, Scytinium, Swinscowia, Synalissina, and Thyrea.
Picea omorika is an endangered conifer endemic to Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. This research reports the first case of its naturalisation in Italy, specifically in a restricted area of the upper Brembana Valley (Orobic Alps, Lombardy), where an uneven-aged population, of approximately 50–60 individuals, grows within a wood pasture at 1,760–1,790 m a.s.l., inside the Orobie Bergamasche Regional Park. Dendrochronological analysis indicates that this population likely originated from a single tree planted for ornamental purposes near a mountain hut in the 1960s. Over the past 30 years, the species has propagated in the study area under cold, suboceanic climatic conditions and on moderately moist, nutrient-poor, slightly acidic soils, as inferred from climatic data and Ellenberg ecological indicator values. Grime’s competitor, stress tolerator, ruderal (CSR) functional strategy analysis classified P. omorika as a strictly stress-tolerant species (C = 0.0%, S = 100.0%, R = 0.0%) with low invasive potential. Phytosociological analysis indicates that the P. omorika community is part of a secondary succession that is progressing from pastures of Nardion strictae towards high-montane coniferous forests of Piceion excelsae. This research contributes to a better definition of the ecological niche of P. omorika.
A list of the vascular flora occurring in the municipality of Tarsia (province of Cosenza, Calabria) is provided. The list is based on a bibliographic analysis and on field studies carried out in the years 2018–2025. A total of 618 specific and subspecific taxa are recorded in the study area (including 64 aliens), plus 35 cultivated taxa. Chenopodium ficifolium Sm. and Orobanche cernua Loefl. are new records for Calabria.
The herbarium digitization aligns with global efforts to modernise natural collection data and facilitate broad reuse. In this framework, the Herbarium of Giovanni Giannini (1793–1871) conserved in the Herbarium of the University of Pisa (international code PI) was digitized. The Herbarium is composed by 25 packages of plants, algae, fungi, and lichens. Metadata were entered into the online database Virtual Herbaria JACQ and mirrored into a personalized virtual Herbarium of the Botanic Museum. After the completion of the digitization process, the number of specimens preserved in the Herbarium amounts to 1,314. Besides Giannini, who collected 98.5% of the specimens, four other collectors are represented: Benedetto Puccinelli, Lorenzo Chiostri, Pietro Savi, and Attilio Tassi. Most specimens were collected in Tuscany in the province of Lucca (72%). Based on specimens conserved in PI-GIANN, Centaurea phrygia subsp. pseudophrygia should be considered as at least historically occurring in Tuscany, while Euphrasia officinalis subsp. kerneri is newly recorded as historically occurring in the province of Lucca. The digitization and revision of PI-GIANN herbarium provide a re-evaluation of a historically important collection, preserving valuable historical occurrences, including several Italian endemic, alien, threatened, or locally extinct species.
The paper presents an effective lectotypification of the name Pulmonaria angustifolia var. australis, the basionym of P. australis, correcting a typification attempt made by Wilhelm Sauer in 1975. Among lots of syntypes, representing No. 4480 of the Herbarium normale exsiccata series, the specimen from WU is designated here as a lectotype, while the rest, kept in B, E, GJO, LI, O, and P, as well as potentially present in other herbaria, are considered isolectotypes.
The wetland vegetation of two unexplored mountain localities of Sicily was surveyed. A total of 14 wetland sites (springs, peaty springs, temporary ponds) are newly described. Vegetation plots and associated hydrochemical variables were surveyed in each site. The classification of the vegetation relevés led to the description of ten new plant communities, along with records of additional syntaxa already known from other areas of Sicily and southern Italy. All the identified plant communities and associations belong to the Dactylorhizo sacciferae-Juncion striati (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea) and the Alopecuro-Glycerion spicatae (Phragmito-Magnocaricetea) alliances. Nomenclatural revisions are proposed for certain syntaxa. The composition and structure of the described plant communities are analyzed and discussed in comparison with related communities from other European regions.
Joseph Martin Neumayer (1791–1840) was a dedicated naturalist who played a key role in documenting the flora of southern Dalmatia in the early 19th century. Through systematic fieldwork from the Dalmatian coast to inland mountains, as well as the islands, Neumayer collected plant specimens across diverse habitats, ranging from sea level to high altitudes. He collaborated closely with Roberto Visiani, sending well-documented herbarium material that contributed to his Flora Dalmatica and facilitated the description of seventeen taxa new to science. Neumayer’s correspondence reveals his commitment to meticulous collection, identification, and knowledge exchange, as well as the practical challenges of field research in a malarial, rugged, and politically complex region. Analysis of preserved specimens indicates that some of the species Neumayer collected remain rare in the Croatian flora today. His work exemplifies the crucial link between local collectors and established botanists in advancing 19th-century Mediterranean botanical knowledge.
This study presents the first chromosome numbers for Italian populations of two species with a Euro-Mediterranean distribution: Atocion rupestre (L.) Oxelman (Caryophyllaceae) and Mantisalca duriaei (Spach) Briq. & Cavill. (Asteraceae). Both counts confirm the chromosome numbers reported for populations of the same species in other European countries.
The typification of the Linnaean name Hemerocallis liliastrum, basionym of Paradisea liliastrum, is discussed. Original materials consist of three herbarium specimens (two part of the Adriaan van Royen Herbarium at L, the third included in Linnaeus Herbarium at LINN) and two illustrations published by Dalechamps and Clusius. The specimen in LINN is designated as the lectotype. The type choice maintains the present usage of the Linnaean name.
In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of three vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment of Allium eremoprasum Vved., Allium svetlanae Vved. ex Filim. and Brassica trichocarpa C. Brullo, Brullo, Giusso & Ilardi at global level.
In the absence of specific studies on the Psilocybe genus in Italy, we provide information on the taxonomy, habitat, ecology, and distribution of the nine taxa currently recorded for Italy. A nomenclatural update of Psilocybe taxa reported in the Checklist of Italian Fungi (Basidiomycetes), published in 2005, is provided and seven scientific binomials are confirmed. In addition, P. medullosa and P. serbica, recently found in Trentino-Alto Adige/ Südtirol and Calabria respectively, are added to the list of taxa of the genus Psilocybe in Italy. Data on distribution and ecological categories of each taxon are also reported together with a molecular analysis. Considering how easily Psilocybe species can be found in Italy and their psilocybin and psilocin content, the authors hope that Italy will also legalize the use of psychedelic mushrooms in clinical therapies, as already permitted in many other countries.
This study presents the first chromosome counts for Italy for Cephalaria joppensis (Rchb.) Coult. (Caprifoliaceae), a cryptogenic species occurring in southern Italy. The first chromosome counts for Hieracium acanthodontoides Arv.-Touv. & Belli (Asteraceae), endemic to central and southern Italy, and H. pulchellum Gren. ex Griseb. (Asteraceae), showing a disjunct distribution between western Alps and Abruzzo (central Italy), are also presented.
Glacial relicts represent invaluable biogeographical markers of past climatic oscillations, offering unique insights into the historical dynamics of species distribution and the long-term persistence of biodiversity within refugia. Linnaea borealis, common name Twinflower, is a small suffruticose plant that grows in coniferous and mixed forests at altitudes ranging from 1,200 to 2,100 m a.s.l. This species is considered a relict of the Ice Age, as its current distribution is limited to circumboreal zones of the Northern Hemisphere. In Italy, currently it was observed living only in the mountains in four northern alpine regions (Valle d’Aosta, Piemonte, Lombardia, Trentino–Alto Adige), while fossil pollen records were found in a wetland area in the plain in Friuli Venezia Giulia. The finding in plains (30 m a.s.l.) in strata dated 6,000 years ago, i.e. significantly later than the post-glacial retreat, opens up the question of whether its disappearance did not occur in post-glacial times in the Palù basin, which possibly may have functioned as a refuge area for this species in the lowlands. This study focuses on the first evidence of past presence of this species, previously unrecorded and currently not present, in the Palù basin. Thanks to detailed palynological analyses, pollen grains of L. borealis were identified in Mid-Holocene pollen samples taken from a core drilled in this area. This approach underscores the importance of combining floristic and palynological data to reconstruct the biogeography and ecology of species. In the case of L. borealis, such analyses offer new perspectives on the past presence of this species in areas where it is no longer found today, shedding light on how climate changes during the Holocene may have influenced its distribution.
In this contribution, new data concerning algae, bryophytes, fungi and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records, confirmations or exclusions for the algal genera Chara, Hildenbrandia, Pleurotaenium, and Spirogyra, the bryophyte genera Braunia, Buxbaumia, Crossidium, Dicranum, Flexitrichum, Tortella and Ulota, the fungal genera Agaricus, Coltricia, Cortinarius, Gliophorus, Leucocoprinus, Leucotelium, Microbotryum, Phaeocalicium, Phragmidium, and Polycoccum, and the lichen genera Anisomeridium, Arthonia, Chaenotheca, Cladonia, Graphis, Leptochidium, Melanelia, Rinodina, Scoliciosporum, Synalissa, Toninia and Trapelia.
