Search results for " plant taxonomy"
showing 10 items of 14 documents
The Monumental Olive Trees as Biocultural Heritage of Mediterranean Landscapes: The Case Study of Sicily
2021
Monumental olive trees, with their longevity and their remarkable size, represent an important information source for the comprehension of the territory where they grow and the human societies that have kept them through time. Across the centuries, olive trees are the only cultivated plants that tell the story of Mediterranean landscapes. The same as stone monuments, these green monuments represent a real Mediterranean natural and cultural heritage. The aim of this paper is to discuss the value of monumental trees as “biocultural heritage” elements and the role they play in the interpretation of the historical stratification of the landscape. We present the results of a survey of the most s…
Ethnobotany of the Aegadian Islands: safeguarding biocultural refugia in the Mediterranean
2021
Abstract Background The Aegadian Islands are located west of Trapani, Sicily. Once the site of bountiful tuna fisheries and fruit orchards (plums, peaches, apricots), grapevines, prickly pears, and grains, the local economy is now based on tourism, and many traditional agricultural and maritime practices have been abandoned. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the state of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) concerning the use of wild and cultivated plants and fungi for human health, food, maritime, and agricultural purposes on the islands of Levanzo, Favignana, and Marettimo and compare present-day practices with those documented in the past. Methods In-depth semi-structured interviews …
Human fascioliasis infection sources, their diversity, incidence factors, analytical methods and prevention measures
2018
AbstractHuman fascioliasis infection sources are analysed for the first time in front of the new worldwide scenario of this disease. These infection sources include foods, water and combinations of both. Ingestion of freshwater wild plants is the main source, with watercress and secondarily other vegetables involved. The problem of vegetables sold in uncontrolled urban markets is discussed. Distinction between infection sources by freshwater cultivated plants, terrestrial wild plants, and terrestrial cultivated plants is made. The risks by traditional local dishes made from sylvatic plants and raw liver ingestion are considered. Drinking of contaminated water, beverages and juices, ingestio…
Variability of Hypericins and Hyperforin in Hypericum Species from the Sicilian Flora
2019
Within Sicilian flora, the genus Hypericum (Guttiferae) includes 10 native species, the most popular of which is H. perforatum. Hypericum's most investigated active compounds belong to naphtodianthrones (hypericin, pseudohypericin) and phloroglucinols (hyperforin, adhyperforin), and the commercial value of the drug is graded according to its total hypericin content. Ethnobotanical sources attribute the therapeutic properties recognized for H. perforatum, also to other Hypericum species. However, their smaller distribution inside the territory suggests that an industrial use of such species, when collected from the wild, would result in an unacceptable depletion of their natural stands. This…
Studies on the genus Capparis L. (Capparaceae) in Lao PDR. VI: a new species from the Bolikhamxai Province
2022
A new species of Capparis, C. phatadke, is described and illustrated from the Bolikhamxai Province, central Lao PDR. The new species is characterized by lianous habit, brown-reddish indumentum, straight stipular thorns, laminar bracts, large flowers arranged in terminal corymbs or subumbels, long filaments and large ovary. It is so far known from a single locality, where has been observed in mixed deciduous forest and secondary forest in a limestone area. Its ecology and phenology are discussed, and its conservation status is assessed.
First record of Tamarix meyeri (Tamaricaceae) for western Europe
2012
Abstract Field investigations and herbaria reference work carried out in Italy and Spain allowed us to identify wild and cultivated plants of Tamarix meyeri, a new species from western Europe. This small tree is characterized by tetramerous, rarely pentamerous flowers and a paralophic disk.
A new species of Centaurea (Asteraceae) from Calabria(S Italy)
2013
A new species is described here from the Presila in Calabria (S Italy) and named Centaurea calabra. It belongs to Centaurea sect. Phalolepis and is related to the C. deusta group, namely to C. sarfattiana. Taxonomical characteristics, distribution, and ecology of the new Centaurea are also provided.
Seed germination and reproductive features of Lysimachia minoricensis (Primulaceae), a wild-extinct plant.
2002
Lysimachia minoricensis is one of the few Mediterranean endemic plants (Minorca, Balearic islands) that has gone extinct in the wild but which persists as extant germplasm or cultivated plants in several botanical gardens. Reproductive features (seed set, number of seeds per capsule, seed weight) and germination responses to constant temperatures, sea water and dry-heat pre-treatments were investigated to determine the extent to which they may have influenced the extinction of the species. Seed set in Lysimachia is not dependent on pollinators, suggesting a functional selfer breeding system. Most plants produced a large mean number of fruits (23.2) and seeds (466), and the mean production o…
The Isoetes longissima complex (Isoetaceae) in Italy: observations on the morphology of spores and leaves, and taxonomic implications
2014
The morphological variability of the Isoetes longissima complex in Italy has been analyzed, on the basis of selected herbarium specimens. Observations were made on spore ornamentation and size, number of leaves per plant and maximum leaf length, velum extension and alae width in the basal portion of leaves. The first count of chromosome number on plants from Italy is also made. On the basis of our observations, the five taxa here considered are attributed to two taxa, treated at the species level as follows: I. longissima (incl. I. velata and I. velata [unranked] sicula), and I. tiguliana (incl. I. dubia). Italian distribution of these species is also given.
A new species of Kali (Salsoloideae, Chenopodiaceae) from Sicily, supported by molecular analysis
2015
Nomenclatural and taxonomical considerations on Kali , a controversial genus recently segregated from the polyphyletic Salsola s. lat. ( Chenopodiaceae ), are provided. The Kali group includes annual plants with leaves ending in a spine and lacking hypodermis, having also a cortex alternate to longitudinal chlorenchymatous striae. The species belonging to this genus mainly have a paleotemperate distribution (Europe, Asia and North Africa), occurring as aliens in North America, Australia and South Africa. A new species collected on Mt. Etna (Sicily), and closely related to K. australe , is described and illustrated as K. basalticum Its morphological and molecular features, karyology (2n=54),…