Page 1 - Geraci_Schicchi_1991

Anna Geraci & Rosario Sc hi cchi

Cytogeographical in vcstigation or Sdllu alltllMllu{is (Uyacitrthaceae) in
Sici ly

(iCr'JCi. A, & S<.hicchi. R.: CylOgcogrnphical in\'esligalion or Sdl/a 1II"m"'IlIlis (")Y«"jmh,,('t',w)
in Sid ly. - l:!. M~·dll. 12: 177-11:12. 2002. - ISSN I12tJ-.4U52.
The ploldy le,cI or filìcen l'''piliations of Scilla ""wn..."lis L. \\BS iu,'cstlga lcd in Sicil)', On
$lIch NIS is. ho.lIh IdrJpLoid and c.xap Loid I..,cls ',,:l'C found occurring in IhI! sludy nrca. In addi_
tI,m lo okl and ""'" othcr diploid populations. FurthemlOn:. B-chromosome \l'ere found in thl!
fII' igmmn ;slel (F.gadi an:hipclago. W-Si.::i l}'). The resuhs an: d iliC usseti hen: with n:Spectlo tlle:
Ot:c urrencc of diffen:nl ploidy 1e,ds in thc " hok tli5tribution arca uf th is spL~ies.

I n t rod u e t ion

The genus Scilla L. (Nyacimlwceae) is a vcry helerogeneous gro up widel)' dislribule<!
in thc Mediterranean arca, Thcre are included specics autumn-Oowering thal. from the
morfologieal and karyological point of view. remarkably dilTer from the spring-Oowering
oncs bclonging IO Scilla sensu stricto (Speta 1979). Owing lo such dilTerences. recent i)'
both Scilla autulII/J(/Ii.~ L. .md S. obllIsifolia Poir. were lransferred IO the genus Pro~pero
Salisbury (Spcla 1983, Eben & al. 1996). FurthemlOre six new endemic specics of the
same genus have bcen descrilxd from Crele (S pela 2000),

S. al/umlllali.\" is dislributed Ihroughoul a wide area rrom the Allanlic coasts o r England.
ponugal and Spain IO Ihe Caucasus. i.e. Ihe whole medi terranean region. Fra nce. northern
Balkans and Ihc Ponlic region.

Il usually occurs in garigues and dry grasslands as we ll as in Ihe hollows of limcslone
rocks evcn with the sl ightcsl lilyer or substralum. The nowering period ex tcnds belween
the end of Augusl and the end of Seplember (Fig. 1).

From the karyologicul poinl or view, the basic chro mosomc numbcr of S. allfllmllalis is
1/ = 7 (B<luaglia 1952) or. n = 6 in some easlem areas, (Ebcn & al. 1996). Populations
showing 211 = 14.28.42. 56.63. 70 are dispersed in thc whole rangc (Spctil 1993). Diploids
oceur in Nonh-Africa, the Southem lberian peni nsula, Sardinia. Sieil)', Malta. Greecc. and
throughoul Ihe eoast between the Asia minor and Isrnel. Polyploids mainly occur in Spain.
Morocco. Italian Peninsula. Sardi nia. Balcanica Peninsula. France and England (Spcta