Page 2 - Badalamenti_alii_2013

506 E. BADALAMENTI, D. CUSIMANO, T. LA MANTIA & S. PASTA

FOREWORD

This paper aims at reporting and commenting the ongoing process of
naturalization of Melia azedarach L. (Meliaceae) in Sicily, preferring urban
and suburban coastal areas (e.g. roadsides, artificial water canals, dump
places, abandoned quarries, disturbed screes), up to 200 m a.s.l., mostly sub-
ject to thermo-Mediterranean climatic conditions (Table 1).

ORIGIN AND ECOLOGY OF MELIA AZEDARACH

M. azedarach is considered to be native to S-SE Asia and N Australia
(GISD, 2006; CELESTI-GRAPOW et al., 2009). In China it takes part to mixed
broadleaved forest communities, but it also colonizes field edges and road-
sides, from 500 m up to 2,100 m a.s.l. (HUA & MABBERLEY, 2008). Plenty of
different vernacular names (e.g. Chinaberry tree, Bead tree, Persian lilac) te-
stify the long history of introduction of this medium-sized deciduous tree; for
instance, it has been held as sacred in all S Asia from Persia to Malaysia. After
about two hundred years of being introduced in other continents, its present
distribution range includes many countries with tropical, subtropical and
warm-temperate climate of the entire American continent, from Florida to
Argentina (LANGELAND & BURKS, 1998; TOURN et al., 1999; ZALBA & VIL-
LAMIL, 2002), Philippines, Hawaii and Cuba (COWEN, 1965) and several areas
subject to Mediterranean climate, such as S Africa and some parts of Pales-
tine and N Africa (VILÁ et al., 1999; DANIN, 2000; HENDERSON, 2007). The
species requires rather warm average annual temperatures (≥18 °C) and no
less than 600 mm of yearly rainfall amount (RUSKIN, 1983).

INVASIVE BEHAVIOR AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS

Many are the biological traits of M. azedarach which explain its invasive
success worldwide. First of all, its fast and effective seed dispersal strategy
seems to have played a critical role in the spreading of Chinaberry tree out-
side its native area. In fact, sexual reproduction starts very early, just 2-3 years
after birth, when plants still have a small shrub habit (DIRR, 1998).
Seed production is extremely abundant and mature fruits are released
from trees up to 12 months after ripening, thus improving the dissemination
performance exploiting the most suitable climatic conditions for germination.
Moreover, the seeds maintain viability for more than two years, even under
severe dehydration (HONG & ELLIS, 1998). However, the speed and effec-