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













                formed  abundant  fruiting  just  4  years  after  birth;  its  regular  monitoring
                since  January  2011  revealed  a  very  fast  growth  in  terms  of  biomass  and
                height.  The  emergence  and  the  establishment  of  the  seedlings  of  M.
                azedarach is  strongly  biased  by  the  local  co-occurrence  of  Pennisetum
                setaceum (Forssk.) Chiov. (Fig. 1), whose competitive ability has long been
                recognized (PASTA et al., 2010).
                    At the moment it is difficult to predict with sufficient reliability the rate
                of  the  naturalization  process  of  M.  azedarach in  Sicily.  Nonetheless,  the
                increasing number of regeneration nuclei observed during the last decades in
                the whole regional territory may be the prelude of its rapid spread, like it has
                already happened to many other invasive species (RICHARDSON et al., 2000).
                Three main factors will probably rule the near future of M. azedarach in Sici-
































                Fig. 1 — Young individuals of Melia azedarach gradually spreading in a suburban area of Carini
                (Palermo province) together with Pennisetum setaceum.
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