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moted the survival of many biogeographical relics (not only the previously mentioned palaeo-
endemics but also species linked to warm-humid conditions such as the ferns like Pteris cre-
tica, Woodwardia radicans, etc.), and the differentiation of a rich endemic flora, among which
the genera Allium, Anthemis, Astragalus, Brassica, Centaurea, Erysimum, Limonium and
Viola display remarkable examples of schizo-endemism resulted from the splitting of ancient
distribution ranges, combined with the efficient occupation of particular ecological niches.
The most fascinating premise of such a remarkable plant diversity is that most of Sicily was
still under water during lower Pliocene (i.e. until 3.6 Ma), leaving many open questions, re-
viewed in this paper, on how and where the many ancient lineages and Palaeogene relicts cur-
rently growing on the island managed to survive. On that purpose, we hope that in the near
future the extensive use of genetic molecular tools and procedures will allow to better assess
the timing of the colonisation and differentiation-evolution processes giving birth to many
enigmatic endemics of Sicily, in order to disentangle the effects of remote and recent events.

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