CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE ESSENTIAL OILS OF SOME TAXA OF THE GENUS CLINOPODIUM (LAMIACEAE) FROM SICILY

The genus Clinopodium L. (Lamiaceae) is known for its medical uses in folk medicine and as a spice in Italian food. Recently, several taxa previously assigned to Satureja L. and Calamintha Mill. have been transferred to this genus (1). Pharmacological studies reveal, for instance, that Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi [Clinopodium nepeta Kuntze subsp. nepeta], commonly known as “nepetella”, exhibits cholagogue, expectorant, sedative and antibiotic properties (2); furthermore, the essential oil of its aerial parts showed an antifungal activity (3). The apical flowering parts and leaves of Clinopodium vulgare L. are used in popular medicine for their carminative and emmenagogue properties (1); rec…

Contributi alla interpretazione, conservazione e restauro dei manufatti storico-artistici dell’Orto Botanico di Palermo: il Paride di Nunzio Morello

Contributions to the interpretation, conservation and restoration of the historical and artistic artifacts of the Botanical Garden of Palermo: the Paride by Nunzio Morello – Purely cognitive and conservative requirements of the historical-artistic heritage of the Botanical Garden of the University of Palermo, have led the authors to present one of the most representative monuments of such Garden that is of great artistic and cultural value in the City of Palermo: the Paride Pensante, a marble sculpture made in 1839 by the Palermo sculptor Nunzio Morello - a pupil of the most famous artist Valerio Villareale - donated to his homeland and placed in the men- tioned Botanical Garden, in the squ…

Species and habitat biodiversity measure and conservation at different scale in small Mediterranean islands

Small islands are geographically and ecologically well-defined areas in which biological processes are easier to schematize than in the mainland. There is a vast range of biodiversity measures, due to the large concept of biodiversity and the range of spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales used. Many existing measures are well designed and informative. But, very often they are inadequate for purposes beyond those for which they were specifically designed. Knowledge on trends in biodiversity loss is hindered by the absence of reliable basic data for most groups of organisms as well as habitats. Plants are primary producers and key structural elements for most ecosystems and islands are among…

Diversità in Centaurea Sect. Dissectae (Asteraceae) della Sicilia

Centaurea dissecta Ten., sensu Fiori (1), comprende diverse entità in qualche caso anche critiche (4). Studi recenti sulle popolazioni dell’Italia meridionale e insulare hanno messo in luce una significativa variabilità genetica (2). Diversi taxa specifici sono stati descritti proprio in questi ultimi anni. In Sicilia, dove il gruppo era rappresentato solo da C. parlatoris Heldr. e da poche altre unità infraspecifiche, alcune popolazioni riferite a detta specie sono state proposte come nuove specie [C. giardinae Raimondo & Spadaro sull’Etna (6) e C. sicana Raimondo & Spadaro nei Monti Sicani (8)]. Varietà di C. parlatoris [var. tomentosa Guss. e var. virescens Guss. (5) ] sono state elevate…

Evolution of the forest landscape in the Punic Eparchy area (West Sicily): the importance of cork oak in natural residual vegetation for the purposes in the restoration of the forest landscape

The natural forest vegetation in the territory of the western provinces of Sicily (Palermo, Trapani and Agrigento) has almost completely disappeared. This area coincides with the ancient administrative ter- ritorial unit that precedes the division into three "valleys" of the most inhabited island of the Mediterranean: it is the Val di Mazara, remembered by archaeologists as "Punic Eparchy". As a seat of important Greek cities (Himera, Solunto, Entella, Agrigento, Gela, Eraclea Minoa, Segesta, Selinunte, Erice, Lilibeo, Mozia, etc.), it was a Punic domain before being abandoned. Due to the lack of a marked relief and the benefit of climate, agriculture was practiced for three millennia. In t…

Conservation of forest biodiversity in Sicily: contribution of the University of Palermo Germplasm Bank (Italy)

Germplasm Banks dedicated to the wild plants seeds conservation play a unique role in integrating the in situ conservation of endemic, rare or endangered plant species. One of the missions of the Seed Bank of the University of Palermo (HBP-Bank) is to support the conservation of biodiversity with particular attention to the spectrum of genetic diversity of plants belonging to Mediterranean habitat. Abies nebrodensis (Lojac.) Mattei is an relict species, consisted of 30 natural individuals, gathered in a small area of the Madonie Natural Park in Sicily (1500 -1600 m above s.l.), recorded on the checklist “TOP 50 Mediterranean Island Plants”. It is also one of eight conifers species criticall…

Genetic diversity in Sicilian Population of Quercus ilex (Fagaceae)

The plant landscape of the Sicilian archaeological areas through the iconographic documentation of travellers and naturalists

The landscape is commonly defined as the set of physical and historical-anthropological characters expressed by a territory. Our re-elaboration defines the landscape as the set of perceivable characters of a territory expressed in relation to the stratification of the occurred natural and cultural processes. The Grand Tour reports are one of the most effective means to fix at least one stage of evolution from the Sicilian landscape, before its further transformation. These reports provide often a stereotypical image of the landscape of the Island, in particular as regards the major archaeological areas subjected to particular attention by the cultured travellers. The authors summarize the c…

Plant landscape and phytodiversity in the ancient town of Erice (NW Sicily)

The The town of Erice, in the province of Trapani, is an environmental unicum in the context of the ancient settlements of western Sicily. Its history, substrates, and particular climate, generated by its geo-orographic position, make it a particular hotspot of natural and cultural biodiversity. Located on the top of Mount San Giuliano, in addition to natural habitats with their specific florulas, the town shows small gardens and among the few inhabitants there is a widespread green culture. A tourist des- tination by its various architectural and landscape historical peculiarities, Erice presents a residential center made up by small stone buildings, with small courtyards or “bagli” often …