Page 4 - bocconea_2007

8 Giardina & al.: A catalogue of plants growing in Sicily

possible endemic character, as well as an index of rarity, are included. In this way the
Catalogue wants to be a useful tool – limited to the Sicilian territory – for those who are
interested in knowing the level of danger for the regional flora.

Nomenclatural variations

During the preparation of this Catalogue we have realised that it is extremely important
that the floristic analysis of the territory succeeds to supply reliable floristic plant lists to
scholars of any botanical branch. Otherwise investigations of applied studies might be
impossible. Therefore it needs that taxonomists should focus their research mainly on
those local taxa which are still not well identified and described. All this is clear through
both herbarium material and what is found in the classic works of botanic literature
[Fiori, Fl. It., (1923 - 29) with material in FI; Lojacono, Fl. Sic. (1891 - 1909) with mate-
rial in PAL; Guss., Fl. Sicul. Prodr., (1827-28), Suppl. Fl. Sicul. Prodr. (1832-34), Fl. Sic.
Syn. (1843-45) with material mainly in NAP]. Much of the Sicilian material has not been
adequately examined by many authors due to the lack of suitable material found in the
most important European herbaria (although a large number of specimens were distributed
by Todaro, they cannot be regarded as fully representative of the floristic richness of
Sicily). Much material has been effectively examined by Fiori (in FI), but it was not suffi-
cient to solve all the problems related to taxonomy, and new questions still need an answer.
It is then important to identify taxa, so that every unsolved problem is labelled and possi-
bly named. So it has been necessary to introduce several new combinations as follows.

Nomenclature and taxonomic novelties, and typifications (*)

Acinos minae (Lojac.) Giardina & Raimondo comb. nov. [ Bas. Calamintha minae
(“minaae”) Lojac., Fl. Sicul. 2(2): 220 (1904)].

Agrostis stolonifera var. densiflora (Guss.) Giardina & Raimondo comb. nov. [Bas.
Agrostis alba var. densiflora Guss., Fl. Sicul. Prodr. Suppl. 1: 15 (1832)].
Taxon described by Gussone (1832) and [confirmed] in his Fl. Sicul. Syn. 1 (1843),
reported in Lojacono (1909) as Agrostis altissima var. terrestris Lojac. and in Fiori
(1923: 97) among the intraspecific taxa of A. alba .
Allium sphaerocephalon subsp. laxiflorum (Guss.) Giardina & Raimondo stat. nov. [Bas.
A. sphaerocephalum var. laxiflorum Guss., Fl. Sicul. Prodr. Suppl. 1: 98 (1832); Syn.
“A. aegeum” sensu Lojac. non Heldr. & Halácsy ex Halácsy].
Described by Gussone as a variety, it is morphologically quite distinct and therefore
worthy of being placed at the subspecific rank.

Anisantha sterilis var. sicula (Strobl) H. Scholz comb. nov. [Bas. Bromus sterilis var.

(*) Marginal notes to nomenclatural changes proposed, alike diagnoses and typifications of new
taxa, refer to the relevant authors.