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11. Orophylous cushion-like shrubs with: a) Genista cupanii (Carlino nebrodensis-
Genistetum cupanii); b) Astragalus nebrodensis (Astragaletum nebrodensis) or Astragalus
siculus (Astragaletum siculi); c) Juniperus hemisphaerica (Cerastio tomentosi-Juniperetum
hemisphaericae: Madonie Mountains; Bellardiochloo aetnensis-Juniperetum hemisphaericae:
Mt. Etna)

EUNIS Code: F7.46, F7.47; Natura 2000 Code: 4090

These orophilous shrubby communities are present on the highest altitudes of Sicily - in
particular on the Etna and the High Madonie Mts. - on crests and rocky ridges, in exposed
and windswept sites, with shallow and undeveloped soils (Figures S8a-b). These floristically
poor pioneer coenoses, with a climax or edapho-climacic character, can be found in the supra-
and oromediterranean bioclimatic belts, with some exceptions northwards in the
mesomediterranean, in continuity with the underlying orophilous wood communities.

In addition to the aspects dominated by Juniperus hemisphaerica, this typology comprises
the communities characterized by the Astracantha group species and the Genista cupanii
pulvinate garrigues (Carlino nebrodensis-Genistetum cupanii; Gianguzzi, Cusimano, llardi,
& Romano, 2015).

Juniperus hemisphaerica is a species with a south-Mediterranean distribution (Tyrrhenian
area, North Africa and southem part of the Iberian Peninsula), which characterizes orophilous
shrubs of the Junipero-Pinetea class (order Juniperetalia hemisphaericae, alliance
Berberidion aetnensis), whose Sicilian aspects are ascribed to the following associations: -
Cerastio tomentosi-Juniperetum hemisphaericae, located in the cacuminal part of the
Madonie Mts. (Brullo, 1984a; Brullo, Giusso del Galdo, & Guarino, 2001; E. Pignatti, S.
Pignatti, Nimis, & Avanzini, 1980);- Bellardiochloo aetnensis-Juniperetum hemisphaericae,
reported for Etna (Brullo, Giusso del Galdo, & Guarino, 2001), at altitudes of 1,800-2,000 m.

Genista cupanii is endemie to the Madonie Mts., where it dominates vegetation aspects
framed within the Cisto-Lavanduletea class (order Lavanduletalia stoechadis, alliance
Calicotomo villosae-Genistion tyrrhenae; Biondi, 1997), attributed to the Carlino
nebrodensis-Genistetum cupanii association, with the two new subassociations carlinetosum
nebrodensis and genistetosum cupanii, recently described for the Tyrrhenian side of the
Madonie Mts., at altitudes of 800-1,600 m a.s.l. (Gianguzzi et al., 2015).

The species of the Astracantha group referto Astragalus siculus (endemie to Etna) and A.
nebrodensis (endemie to the Madonie Mts.), whose vegetation aspects are framed within the
Rumici-Astragaletalia siculi order (class Cisto-Lavanduletea), respectively ascribed to the
associations: - Astragaletum siculi, located in the mountain part of Etna, between 1,800 and
2,200 m a.s.l. (Brullo, Giusso del Galdo, Minissale, Siracusa, & Spampinato, 2002; Frei,
1940; Gilli, 1943);- Astragaletum nebrodensis, widespread between 1,200 and 1,800 m a.s.l.
(Brullo, 1984a; Pignatti et al., 1980), on the calcareous and dolomite elevations of Mount
Quacella, Mount Scalone, Mount Mufara, Mount Carbonara, Mount Cervi, Portella Colla, etc.

12. Shrubs and garrigues on rocky ridges and eroded slopes of carbonate nature
(cl. Rosmarinetea officinalis)

EUNIS Codes: F5.5121 , F5.56A, F5.569, F6.12, F6.17, F7.24, F7.25, F7.343; Natura 2000 Code: 5330, 5430

These discontinuous shrubby communities and garrigues are typical of basiphilous rocky
substrates (limestones, dolomites, marls, calcarenites, etc.), where they are present on steep,
deforested and eroded sites, between the infra- and the oromediterranean belts. In accordance
with other authors (Biondi, 1997; Pignatti et al., 1980) and coherently with the