The neglected herbarium of Emanuele Taranto Rosso (Sicily, 1801-1887)

The neglected Herbarium of Emanuele Taranto Rosso (Sicily, 1801-1887). Emanuele Taranto Rosso, eclectic naturalist of the XIX Century, founded a scientific and didactic centre of Natural History and Archaeology in Caltagirone, one of the towns in the province of Catania in eastern Sicily (southern Italy). In this paper, we report and evaluate the size of his herbarium donated to the centre. According to the published catalogue, originally the Herbarium of Taranto Rosso comprised 776 specimens, which included wild and cultivated plants collected by this skillful researcher in the surroundings of Caltagirone. In addition, the Herbarium contained several specimens purchased or exchanged with o…

Acclimatization, distribution and potential economic use of Argania spinosa (Sapotaceae) in southern Italy

The authors report updated notes on the acclimatization, distribution, areas suitable for cultivation and, potential use of Argania spinosa (Sapotaceae) in southern Italy. Based on observations carried out on the plants cultivated in Bari and the Botanical Garden of Palermo, and on ecological requirements of the species it is possible to consider A. spinosa as a woody species easily adaptable to the coastal climate of southern Italy.

Urban green: taxonomic and distributive update of phytoindividuals found in the “Giardino Inglese” of Palermo (Sicily).

Production, oxidation traits and health of dairy ewes fed diets supplemented with fungus myceliated grains.

Mushrooms contain many bioactive compounds, mainly poly- and oligosaccharides, known to have benefits for human health. Polysaccharides from mushrooms exhibited immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, as well as antitumor activity. Furthermore, some mushrooms showed to have potent antioxidant properties due to the presence of phenolic acids, flavonoids, polysaccharides, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and tocopherols. These beneficial properties of mushrooms bioactive compounds indicate their potential use as performance-enhancing natural feed additives for livestock animals. In this regard, the use of mushrooms and mushroom-derived products has largely been inves…