Page 152 - Marettimo_II^p

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Bupleurum clia.ltlhifolit'm. Bmssic" lltMrocorpth 'cabiosn limonijolia an d pro-
bably Scilla Httghi'i 1\re t;o be considered a;; endemie of tbc islaud (probably
paleoendemic). Bes id es t hcso endcmisms we fin cl in Marettimo some peculitw
varieties belouging to spocics prese n t in Sicily ( 1Athospe?'ll1AJ/Il~ 1'08'nutTinifolvwrn
var. s·t,btmiflomm, Sattwcja. /l'tti'ictdo8l' var. coespitttlosa. ecc.).
Thc flora ol' ~l arcttirno is charncteristically wesL anecliterraneau and tbc
!)L % of it>~ ;;;pe<'ÌOil o<·ou•· in A l~eria, wbilo 87 % only in Tunisio.
The \'CgeLa~t ÌOII or ~l arei limo C:lll IJI" da$llirieò lltl rollows ;
Tfle maccltia occupic;;; tlle higber JHtrt or tiH' islnnd. particulai'Ly tbriving
ou tbe western ;;;ido (:-.lorth of Punta, Libcc<:io), in the valley cuclosed between
t he mrun ridgo or tho j~;Jnncl an d the lowcr c·ou.stal ridge. TbiR kiucl or 111(1('•
c·h ia is c·hnmc·tori7.CÙ by Qttrrow; !1e.?· n.nd Da.J>hnc olrifolia.
'l'hc gariga; 1'011\e Lypic•al COIIIII1111litios or wbioh n.rc chiefly C0111posed by
Sa.tt,reja fruticulosa, vor. Nt08]1it1tlosc~ and Ucliciii'YiitWt pcndtdum and grow
on tbe steep on.st ~o<lopo>~ of t ho island (NorLh of tito village), accompn.nic<l by
a •·esidual gr·oup of Pintt11 lwlc]JI'll~is, locltlizod in orH\ ;;tM.ion. 'r his ::nrign. <·n r•
ho considerotl a;; a 111011ntain l.ype or vogctatiou.
The cml~Ynvic 1>1a.nlli (:Jc"lriosa limouifolin, /Jwpletwmn d·ianthifoz.iwu, Se'Ula
E11'f111ii, lJ·rass-ica mctcroccwpa) n.nd tho 111ost )JC<'nlinr oueA (Diantlm8 1'ttpicola.
8eseli Bo('('OIIi. lbr1ù scmperflo1·eu8) fincl t.hrir· only hnhitn.L on tho vortiral
diffs witl• :-.lm·th-~Mlh -En,t oxpo;:ur·r. whcr·r lh<',\' j.{I'OW hrxuriantl~·.
A pankulnr .. lud,y or t ho mo~<l iruportnnl plnnt;;; of t h i,. flora is t>rcsentcò
here. Tlri,. rc~<ear•('h IHLt! hcon pcrrormcd fron• •~ c•homlogical nod anatomicnJ.
ccologicll.l poiut or viow a .. 'l woll n~< by •ucnm1 of t h t> vnlulltion or i t~ clegreo or
;;;pecialisation t(l Lho habi tt\l or vcrti('n,l (')iffl'l. in or<l<•r Lo I'Ol'OIIALI'll('t t,he hi~tor,y
of l;he pian! vopuln.Liou iu l ho ir;Ja.nù.
'fbi:; 1'\LIItly Jud IIS LO US::I\11110 l ha! l h n IIII)Kt ptwll liar flora ùl' Lho i;;Jnncl
<:onsis!Ji or pltw l'l< (•(nll'tUJL(ìl'i::ltic· or tropicu I·KII bt ropil'nl IIIOIIntains, w bere the
widost eli ma l il' o.-cilln.Uour; l ake plo.<·e clul'ing t ho d11.y ttnd uot cl ul'iug t he
year (dilu'IHtl eliumto iuAteall or a senì!Onnl one).
Tbe ecologica! caLcgorÌl'll in which the r·are J>lantl! of Marettimo cnn t.u
classifieù aro a;,; followl\ :
l) Slmtbll of ct·cryrern IIICIJOpltilous type ( ~'igg. U2, 76, 78) probably origi-
uated nt. n low rnuuutniu ult.itndc. <·hamclorizccl h,\' a high atmospbel'ic humi-
dity nn d fog dur·iug n. pur't n! t ho day.
Tbe most typicn.l rcJ>rr;;;cntalive!< (lJtt]JI<•unwt flimdlti.folitWI. Dil"tlhul:! rtt
pico/a. Sescli lJocconi ) nrc localizeù to pcculiar hn.bital.s. prouably fronr t\
remol'c geologica! por·iotl (presu rnabl.v hcfore t.l1c end of t he Mioceno) anù
.-h n w a.dapiation to tito vN·t ica.l cliffs whido ox<·ectl>~ t he 111ost a<'c'entun.terl
prcadaptation.
1t is prosu11rccl l ho i l'n1111 t his ecologie· al ~YIJO urig bt bave takeu o1·igio
t he evergre<>n shruhH, oxpecially of s<"lerophyllollH typo, of the ure<Literranean
macchia of l o day. The:;o pian h ruigbt h avo kopt some of their originai
ruorphological features (s<·u•·sc couduc·ling llowor· or tbe wood tissne, generai
Leaf shnrJe) und cbnnged decply some o t ber" (int.roduction or definite resting
periods iu tbe growiog prc>cess, cbnuge or leaf structure ! rom mesophilous to
xeropbilou;;; t,ype). Wc find in Scabiosa limoni/olia (Fig,;. 69, 92, 95) a. good
f'X:tmple or a J)[nnt in \\'hi('(r lhe lllt"ditcl'l'allNlll ret~t.ures ha.ve been rea<•hed