Page 1 - Geraci -Schicchi - 2002

Anna Geraci & Rosario Schicchi

Cytogeographical investigation of Scilla autum11alis (Hyacitrtltaceae) in
Sicily

Ahstruct
(ìcruci. A. & Sd1icchi, R.: Cytogcograpnical invcstigation oi'St·illtl olllllllllm/11 (1/t•adlllhtiCI!tW)
in Sictly. l'l, M~<lit. l ::!: 177-l l.G. 2002. - ISSN 1120-4052
Thc plotlly l.: ve l or liflccn popnlaLions of Scilla tlli/111/IIICIIiV L. wus im 1!\Ugntcd in Sictly. O n
'uch lu"i'. huth h:tmploid and ~xaploid lèwls "ere found occurnng in thc ~tudy nrca. 111 nddi-
unnlo llld and ne" oLhcr dtploid populatioos. Funhcm1orc, 0-chromru;omc \\Crc found inthc
Fa\ tgnonn t~lcr (l g:~di :~rchtpdago. W-Sicily). The resuhs are di-.cus\ed hcn: "nh n:spc.:rto the
occum:n.:c nf dtO'erenl ploidy le\els in the '' hok di\tribution arca of thi~ ,pcçic,,

lntToduction
The genus Scilla L. (l (mcimhaceae) is a very heterogeneous group widely distributed
in the Meditcrranean arca. Therc are included species autumn-nowering that. from lhe
morfological and karyological point of view. remarkably differ from the spring-nowering
ones belonging to Scilla scnsu stricto (Speta 1979). Owing 10 such diiTerences. recently
both Scilla autumnalis L. and S. ubtusifolia Poir. were transferred 10 the genus Prospe1v
Salisbury (Spcta 1983, Eben & al. 1996). Fun bermore six new endemie species of the
samc genus have been described from Crete (Speta 2000).
S. au/Immalis is clis1ributed throughout a w i de area from the Atlanlic coasls of England,
Porlugal und Spain 10 thc Caucasus, i.e. the whole mediterranean region, fo'rance, northern
Balkans and the Pontic region.
l t usually occurs in garigues and dry grasslands as well as in the hollows of limeslone
rocks even wilh lhe slightest layer of substratum. The nowering period exlend betwccn
the end or Augusl and l h e end of September (Fig. l).
From l h e karyological poi n t of view. tbe basic chromosome numbcr of S. tJLIIIImllalis is
n = 7 {Battaglia 1952} or. n = 6 in some eastern areas. (Ebert & al. 1996). Populations
sbowing 2n 14. 28. 42. 56. 63. 70 are disperse d in the w ho le rangc (Spcta 1993 ). Diploids
occur in Nonh-Africa, the Southern lberian peninsula, Sardinia, Sicily. Malta. Grcccc, and
throughout lhe coast bel\\een lhe Asia minor and lsrael. Polyploids mainly occur in Spain,
Morocco. ltalian Peninsula, Sardinia. Balcanica Peninsula, France and England ( pela