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Islands and plants: preservation and understanding of flora on Mediterranean islands

The Sicilian vascular flora is one of the best studied in Europe. This is also
true for the satellite islands of Sicily: over 2,300 years ago, Theophrastos (372-
286 B.C.) wrote about plants growing on the Aeolian Islands, while Boccone,
Cupani, and Ray, who were among the most renowned European botanists of
the 17th century, began to explore the plants growing on circum-Sicilian islets.
One century later, the monk Ucria (1789) followed the Linnaean classification
system in creating the first checklist of the autochthonous and cultivated plants
growing in Sicily. In the first half of the 19th century, many Italian botanists (e.g.,
Gussone, 1832-1834), collected and described many new species on the islets.

The circum-Sicilian satellite islands and islets number more than 100, but
botanical knowledge is greater for some than for others. Over the last 60 years,
the vascular flora of 61 islands has been explored at least once and that of 18
has been monitored two or more times. The main steps in the development of
the current state of knowledge concerning the circum-Sicilian flora are detailed
in Table 2.

Plant lists with a comprehensive revision after 2000 (39 islands)
Pelagie Arch. (Lampione, Lampedusa, Linosa and Isola dei Conigli: Pasta, 2001, 2002; La Mantia et al.,
2009; Lo Cascio and Pasta, 2012); Egadi Arch. (Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo: Romano et al., 2006;
Gianguzzi et al., 2006 + 5 satellite islets: Pasta and Scuderi, 2008; Pasta et al., submitted); Ustica (Pasta et
al., 2007b); Isola delle Femmine (Caldarella et al., 2010); Eolie Arch. (23 satellite islets: Lo Cascio and
Pasta, 2008); Stagnone Arch. (Santa Maria and Scuola: Scuderi et al., 2007)
Plant lists with a comprehensive revision after 1990 (5 islands)
Stagnone Arch. (Mozia: Catanzaro, 1992); Scogli dei Ciclopi (3 islets: Siracusa, 1996); Rocca di San Nicola
(Pasta, pers. obs.)
Plant lists written after 1970 and then partially updated (3 islands)
Pantelleria (Brullo et al., 1977); Eolie Arch. (Alicudi and Filicudi: Di Benedetto, 1973; Longhitano, 1983;
Pasta, 1997; Pasta and Lo Cascio, 2002)
Plant lists written after 1960 and then partially updated (3 islands)
Stagnone Arch. (Isola Lunga: Di Martino & Perrone, 1970; Pasta, 2004); Eolie Arch. (Vulcano and Stromboli:
Ferro & Furnari, 1968, 1970)
Plant lists written after 1910 and subject to few or no improvements (5 islands)
SE Sicily (Marzamemi grande, Marzamemi piccola, Vendicari, Capo Passero, Isola delle Correnti: Albo,
1919, 1959; Pirola, 1960; etc.)
19th century plant lists that have been partially updated (3 islands)
Eolie Arch. (Lipari, Salina and Panarea: Lojacono, 1878; Ferro, 1984, 2005; Pasta et al., 1999; Pasta & Lo
Cascio, 2002; etc.)
19th century plant lists subject to few or no improvements (3 islands)
Egadi Arch. (Maraone and Formica: Gussone, 1832-1834); Eolie Arch. (Dattilo: Gussone, 1832-1834)

Table 2. Current overview on the published plant lists for the circum-Sicilian islands and
islets (from Pasta, 1997, updated). Arch = archipelago.

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