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(‘avena’) fields which had been cultivated until two years ago now had the old stubble still left, or even the
straw not taken home, due to the sudden end of agriculture.

The wild vegetation of Favignana was studied in detail for first time by Di Martino and Trapani (1965a) and
later by Società Botanica Italiana (1973). The authors recorded a strong degradation due to the almost
complete cutting of spontaneous trees by local population in 18th and 19th centuries. In those studies 570
wild species (not endemic to Favignana) were described. According to some botanists (Rizza 1995) and our
direct observations, today about 20% of these are extinct. These vanished species include strawberry-tree
and cistus, formerly widespread on this island, ‘valerianella rossa’ (Centranthus ruber (L.) DC., appreciated
both as medicinal and ornamental plant) (Branca 1998a; Branca and Pulvirenti 1998), ‘brassica bianca’ or
‘cavolo bianco’ (Brassica incana Ten.), ‘mazezero’ (Daphne mezereum L.), ‘papavero bianco’ (Papaver
somniferum L. var. album), and a variety of pellitory (Parietaria sp.). The collecting team gathered here some
wild populations of Avena spp. and the rare Brassica macrocarpa (Figure 5), also collected in 1986 by
Hammer et al. (1987). During the mission much information on traditional uses of wild plants in Favignana
was also recorded, e.g. caper, ‘saltarello’ thyme, carob-tree, wild saffron, the ‘mufulena’ (Thymelaea hirsuta
(L.) Endl., used as broom to clean ovens), ‘a burrania’ (Borago officinalis L.), ‘murtidda’ myrtle, ‘a nippitedda’
(Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi), ‘ u puleiu’ (Mentha pulegium L.), wild flax (Linum usitatissimum L. subsp.
angustifolium (Huds.) Thell.), ‘a zabbara’ (Agave americana L.) and Arundo donax L. (both these last two
species to obtain binding material), ‘battilana’ (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., as vegetable), ‘miopro’
(Myoporum insulare R. Br., to give shade), ‘erva ventu’ (Parietaria sp.), ‘vagnu’ (Artemisia absinthium L.), ‘u
ranatu’ pomegranate-tree, and ‘a purciddana’ (Portulaca oleracea L., as a vegetable). A specific study on
this subject has been carried out by Bertolino (1988). Information on etymology of Sicilian plant local names
is reported in Pasqualino (1987).

Levanzo

Today only very few farmers remain on Levanzo, therefore the collecting activity on this island was
concentrated on the wild germplasm. Some populations of two wild oats (Avena barbata and A. sterilis) were
found and gathered. Brassica macrocarpa, an endemic species of Egadi islands, is according to our
investigations and Di Martino and Trapani (1965b), already exinct on Levanzo, but still growing on Favignana
and Marettimo. Wild beet is quite common and had already been collected here and on Favignana in 1981
and stored in genebanks (Toll and Hendriksen 1982).

Marettimo

Despite local agriculture being almost completely abandoned, relics of the last vegetable land-races (e.g. the
‘ cauliceddi’ cabbage and the ‘gira’ beet), still grow in some house gardens (Table 1). No traces were found
of the typical ‘cavolo vecchio’ landrace (‘old cabbage’ B. oleracea var. acephala), of which both young leaves
and shoots are used as vegetables while the old leaves and stems are used for feeding animals.
Unfortunately no seeds were collected of the wild ‘cavolo marino’ (‘marine cabbage’ Brassica macrocarpa)
which is very rare on Marettimo and traditionally was used to cure contusions and hematomas (after being
pounded, it was put on the ailment). Many vestiges of ancient cultivated fields (e.g. terraces and threshing
places for pulses and cereals) were observed, together with some plants which had escaped from cultivation
and become wild (Figure 6). The agricultural situation is similar to that observed in 1986 (Hammer et al.
1987), showing only a slight progress in genetic erosion.

Islands of Stagnone and neighbouring areas

Today, on S. Pantaleo, only some small vineyards and family gardens still exist. Two traditional landraces of
broad bean (‘fave di S. Pantaleo’) and tomato (‘pizzutello’) were collected.
Several sites close to Erice and Trapani were also visited and some populations of wild species were
gathered, including Brassica drepanensis, Avena sterilis, Hordeum bulbosum L. and Allium sp..

Southern Sicily

On Sicily, the collecting activity focussed on wild species, in particular wild oats. The hexaploid species
Avena sterilis is an important genetic resource for oat breeding (Figure 7). Recently, the new species Avena
insularis Ladizinsky was found in south Sicily (Ladizinsky 1998). The locus classicus for this species, south
of the city of Catania, was visited and germplasm was collected. Other wild species collected on Sicily
belong to the genera Hirschfeldia (with ‘amareddi’ H. incana (L.) Lagr.-Foss., a wild relative of cultivated
cabbages), Medicago, Vicia, Aegilops, and Secale. Mass populations of Secale strictum (Presl) Presl, a
perennial wild rye, was found at higher elevation close to the top of the volcano Etna.