Page 2 - Gianguzzi_at_alii_2006

Webbia 61(2): 359-402. 2006

La flora vascolare dell'Isola di Marettimo (Arcipelago delle Egadi,
Sicilia occidentale): analisi fitogeografica ed aggiornamento

L. GIANGUZZI1, L. 5CUDERI2 & S. PASTA'

1 Dipartimento di Scienze Botaniche dell'Università
Via Archirafi 38, 1-90123, Palermo

2 Dipartimento di Botanica dell'Università
Via A. Longo 19,1-95125, Catania

3 Via Salvatore Berrini n 9, I-90129, Palermo

Accettato il13 Settembre 2006

The vdScular flora ofMarettimo lsland (Egadian Archipelago, W Sicily): updating and phytogeographic analysis - Exacrly 50

years after the work ofFrancini & Messeri (1956), the present contribution, deriving from both field collections and thor-

ough checking of literature and herbarium available data, provides an up-to-date synthesis about the vasctÙar flora of

Marettimo, which at present consists of 492 infra-generic taxa (i. e. species, subspecies and varietes), pertaining to 291 gen-

era and 92 families. Among these entities, 28 are here reported far the first rime, 37 are confìrmed even more than one

century after their first and unique record (Gussone, 1832-34; 1842-45; Lojacono-Pojero, 1888-1909). O n the other hand,

120 raxa are excluded either because their presence seems to derive from erroneous interpretations (23) or because they

probably became extinct due to recent land-use changes (97); this is the case of many archaeophytes, linked to declining

rraditional agricwture. Finally, the presence of other 54 taxa, which probably stilllive on the island, must be confirmed.

Like in most pan of the areas subject to rypical Mediterranean climatic conditions, the biologie spectrum of Maretri-

mo's vascwar flora shows a clear dominance of therophytes (51,8%) and hemicryptophytes (18,9%). As expected, the

chorologic specrrum reveals rhe prevalence of the Mediterranean element, represented by 183 taxa, i.e. 37,2% of the local

flora, with a remarkable occurrence of Mediterranean-Atlantic and SW-Mediterranean elements. Local endemism rate is

quite high: 6 raxa are stricrly endemie to the island itself, i.e. Allium ftanciniae Brullo & Pavone, Bupleurum dianthifolium

Guss., Helichrysum rupestre (Raf.) DC. var. messerii Pignatti, Limonium tenuiculum (Tineo) Pignatti, Oncostema ughii

(Guss.) Spera and Thymus nitidus Guss., one is endemie to the Egadi Archipelago (BrllSsica macrocarpa Guss.). Moreover,

on the island live many other noteworthy tax:a: I I of them are endemie to Sicily, i.e. Anthemis secundiramea Biv. subsp. in-

termedia (Guss.) R. Fernandes, Asperula rupesttisTin., Bellevalia dubia (Guss.) Roem. et Schwr. subsp. dubia, Carlina sic-

ula Ten. subsp. sicula, Euphorbia papillaris (Boiss.) Rallàelli & Ricceri, Hornungia revelierei Qordan) Soldano, F. Conti, Ban-

fi et Galasso subsp. sommieri (Parnp.) Soldano, F. Conti, Banfi et Galasso, Plantago afta L. subsp. zwierleinii (Nicotra) Brw-

lo, Pseudoscabiosa limonifolia (Vahl) Devesa, Ranunculus spicatus Desf. subsp. rupesttis (Guss.) Maire and Seseli bocconi Guss.

subsp. bocconi, or to the Centra! Mediterranean area, such as Crocus longijlorus Raf., Daucus siculus Tineo, Dianthus rupi-

cola Biv. subsp. rupicola, Jberis semperf/orens L., Lithodora rosmarinifolia (Ten.) !.M. Johnston, Pimpinella anisoides Brigan-

ti, Micromeria ftuticulosa (Berrol.) Bentharn, Senecio wil!denowii Peruzzi et Passalacqua, etc. Many other plants are absent

or very rare/threatened at a regionallevel, such as Aristolochia navicularis Nardi, Daphne sericea Vahl, Erodium maritimum

(L.) eHér., Lagurus ovatus L. subsp. vestitus (Messeri) Brwlo, Periploca angusti.folia Labill., Reichardia tingitana (L.) Roth,

Simethis mattiazzi (Vandelli) Sacc., Thymelaea tartonraira (L.) Ali., etc.

O n the other hand, the floristic heritage ofMaretrimo island seems to be vtÙnerable. Infact, a more derailed analysis of

the dynarnics of its vascular flora permits to identiJY three major processes: l) the rarefaction and even the extinction of

many plants rypical to pre-forest, forest and rocky slopes communiries, as Centaurea parlatoris Heldr., Centaurea ueriae La-

• caira subsp. ucriae, Erica sicula Guss. subsp. sicula, Fumana ericoides (Cav.) Gandoger, Micromeria microphylla (Dum.-
Urville) Benth., etc.; 2) the rapid vanishing of many plants linked to abandoned agroecosysrems; 3) the recent arriva! of

severa! allochthonous plants. This trend and the extreme interest of the local flora suggest the urgent need for adopting

more effective and dynamic conservation measures of the territory, i.e. by instituting a nature reserve as soon as possible.

Key words: Egadian Archipelagn, flora, Maretrimo lsland, phytogeography, conservation policies.

* La ricerca è stata realizzata nell'ambito del progetto MIUR (ex 60%), coordinato dal Prof. L. Gianguzzi. La stampa è stata effet-

tuata con il contributo finanziario dell'Azienda Foreste Demaniali della Regione Sicilia.