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.
