Lorenzo Peruzzi

University of Pisa | UNIPI · Department of Biology

The Irano‐Turanian (IT) floristic region is considered an important centre of origin for many taxa. However, there is a lack of studies dealing with typical IT genera that also occur in neighbouring areas. The species-rich monocot genus Gagea Salisb. shows a centre of diversity in IT region and a distribution in adjacent regions, therefore represen...

The census of the loci classici of 1,227 native, non-endemic vascular plants described from Italy is here presented and described. The effective place of publication of accepted names, basionyms and homotypic synonyms were identified and critically verified. The geographic information on the loci classici was excerpted from the protologues, as well...

After a survey of 603,637 titles of scientific papers dealing with twenty model and/or crop species, frequent usage of vernacular name-only, of only the abbreviated genus or other errors in indicating the scientific names were observed. A decalogue of golden rules for the 'simple user' of plant nomenclature is proposed.

Chromosome number and genome variation in flowering plants have stimulated growing speculation about the ancestral chromosome number of angiosperms, but estimates so far remain equivocal. We used a probabilistic approach to model haploid chromosome number (n) changes along a phylogeny embracing more than 10 000 taxa, to reconstruct the ancestral ch...

Hybridization and introgression have a significant impact on the taxonomically controversial genus Pulmonaria. Within this genus, the P. hirta complex shows puzzling systematic relationships among P. hirta s.str. (2n = [22, 26]28), P. apennina (2n = 22[26]), and P. vallarsae (2n = 22), showing range overlaps and mixed phenotypes in Southern Europe....

La documentazione delle collezioni è una prerogativa imprescindibile di ogni Museo. Le collezioni di un orto botanico, essendo costitute da esemplari vivi, presentano ulteriori livelli di complessità, in quanto estremamente dinamiche e mutevoli nel tempo. La documentazione delle collezioni dell’Orto Botanico di Pisa risale ad almeno il XVII secolo,...

Within a practical course of cytotaxonomy organized in Pisa (Italy) on February 2024 by the Group for Floristics, Systematics and Evolution of the Italian Botanical Society, we tested whether relevant differences in karyotype asymmetry and structure occur in four tetraploid European taxa from Paeonia sect. Paeonia (P. mascula subsp. russoi, P. offi...

Seed features are a useful and relevant source of taxonomic information, especially when evaluated based on morphometric and micromorphological approaches. Here, we studied 21 populations from four out of the five species of the Mediterranean Linaria purpurea group (Plantaginaceae). Linaria capraria (endemic to Tuscan Archipelago) and L. cossonii (...

Within a practical course of cytotaxonomy organized in Pisa (Italy) on February 2024 by the Group for Floristics, Systematics and Evolution of the Italian Botanical Society, we tested whether using image analysis softwares possible biases are still introduced by different observers. We conclude that observer bias selectively applies in possibly ove...

A contribution to the nomenclature of the genus Armeria is presented. Armeria alpina, A. gracilis, A. macropoda, A. plantaginea, Statice nebrodensis, S. plantaginea, and S. pungens, recorded for Italy, are typified here based on specimens deposited at B, G, MA, and NAP, plus an illustration by Allioni. The current application of these names is conf...

The Botanic Garden and Museum of the University of Pisa was established in 1543 by Luca Ghini with the primary aim of conducting academic teaching and research on plants with medicinal properties. Since then, a plethora of Praefecti developed several lines of research, until the current days in which scientific research plays a central role in the...

The establishment of the first academic botanic gardens dates back to the Italian Renaissance and led to the origin of modern Botany as a scientific field independent of Medicine. Luca Ghini was a crucial figure in the development of botanic gardens as centres of academic education and research. He founded the Botanic Garden of Pisa in 1543 and dee...

Defining species boundaries within plant groups distributed along wide elevational and geographic gradients may lead to unstable taxonomic delimitations using only morphological data. Within the taxonomically challenging genus Dianthus, through an integrative approach we tested the taxonomic value of D. brachycalyx, a putative species endemic to mo...

Climate crisis is globally threatening ecosystems and biodiversity. Accordingly, climate changes also affect botanic gardens. A full understanding of impacts can help to better prepare and secure plant collections over time. Concerning the Botanic Garden of the University of Pisa, located in a Mediterranean climate, we can consider three main clima...

Centaurea aplolepa Moretti and C. leucophaea Jord. (Asteraceae) are endemic to the central-western Mediterranean and include, respectively, ten and six subspecies, mostly occurring in north-western Italy and south-eastern France. As part of an ongoing systematic study on Centaurea L. sect. Centaurea from the central Mediterranean, 17 nomenclatural...

European wild carnations (Dianthus) are represented by a high number of taxa organized in unresolved taxonomies. Particularly, taxa belonging to the Dianthus virgineus L. complex in the Central Mediterranean have been delimited mainly with qualitative morphological data and still await quantitative investigations, which are vital to understand boun...

In this contribution, new chromosome data obtained on material collected in Italy are presented. It includes the first counts for four subspecies of the Italian endemic Centaurea aplolepa Moretti, i.e. C. aplolepa subsp. aplolepa, C. aplolepa subsp. bertolonii, C. aplolepa subsp. levantina, and C. aplolepa subsp. parvula. In addition, the first chr...

The fundamental value of universal nomenclatural systems in biology is that they enable unambiguous scientific communication. However, the stability of these systems is threatened by recent discussions asking for a fairer nomenclature, raising the possibility of bulk revision processes for "inappropriate" names. It is evident that such proposals co...

Critical and updated alien species inventories are crucial to properly manage and contrast biological invasions. After six years, a second update to the inventory of the vascular flora alien to Italy is presented. It provides details on the occurrence at administrative regional level and, for the first time, floristic data for San Marino. The check...

Critical species inventories provide primary biodiversity data crucial for biogeographical, ecological, and conservation studies. After six years, a second update to the inventory of the vascular flora native to Italy is presented. It provides details on the occurrence at regional level and, for the first time, floristic data for San Marino. The ch...

Plant morphology is crucial in defining and circumscribing the plant diversity around us. Statistically speaking, the study of morphology is done using morphometry, that in the context of plant systematics is used to verify hypotheses of morphological independence between taxa. Nevertheless, methods currently used to analyse morphological data do n...

Protected areas (PAs) are a strategic tool for biodiversity conservation, and conservation planning approaches are used to optimize PAs capacity to preserve specific target groups. Orchidaceae is one of the most threatened plant families, as most species are vulnerable to habitat changes because of their strong ecological specialization. Italy play...

Comparative karyotype analysis of four out of the six species of yellow-flowered Eranthis sect. Eranthis, i.e., E. bulgarica, E. cilicica, E. hyemalis, and E. longistipitata from different areas, has been carried out for the first time. All the studied specimens had somatic chromosome number 2n = 16 with basic chromosome number x = 8. Karyotypes of...

Species richness is a fundamental property of biodiversity patterns and is properly expressed by Species-Area Relationship (SAR), namely the increase in the number of species with area. Here we studied and explored a Species-Area Relationship of vascular plant species in Italy and compared vascular plant richness among Italian administrative region...

L’Orto e Museo Botanico dell’Università di Pisa, il più antico orto botanico accademico al mondo per anno di fondazione, ospita nei suoi circa due ettari di estensione numerose specie provenienti da ogni parte del globo. Le circa trenta collezioni che si possono osservare durante la visita vanno a sviluppare diversi temi botanici, come quelli inere...

A nomenclatural revision of the names published under the genus Santolina (Anthemideae) from Iberian Peninsula and northern Africa is presented. The nomenclature of 34 names is discussed. Previous typifications are critically revised, and ten types are designated in this study: six of them fix the application of currently accepted names (Santolina...

In this contribution, new chromosome data obtained on material collected in Italy are presented. It includes the first count for Dianthus carthusianorum subsp. tenorei, Helosciadium nodiflorum, Hieracium hypochoeroides subsp. cilentanum, H. lesimanum, H. scopolioides, H. terraccianoi. In addition, first Italian counts for Crupina vulgaris, Damasoni...

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of three vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment of Aubrieta columnae subsp. sicula, Calligonum zakirovii and Santolina decumbens subsp. tisoniana at global level.

Conferenza tenuta durante un incontro scientifico tenutosi il 1/12/2023 al Museo di Storia Naturale di Verona.

In recent years, essential oils (EOs) have received interest due to their antibacterial properties. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the EOs obtained from seven species of Salvia on three strains of Listeria monocytogenes (two serotyped wild strains and one ATCC strain), a bacterium able to contaminate food p...

New localities and/or confirmations concerning 96 specific and subspecific plant taxa of Tuscan vascular flora, belonging to 77 genera and 43 families are presented: Mesembryanthemum (Aizoaceae), Alisma, Sagittaria (Alismataceae), Amaranthus, Chenopodium (Amaranthaceae), Allium (Amaryllidaceae), Torilis (Apiaceae), Nerium (Apocynaceae), Asparagus (...

Dianthus virgineus encompasses a very complex taxonomic group (traditionally called D. sylvestris group) including an array of units of doubtful taxonomic rank and value. Recent work identified three genetic lineages within this complex that showed strong genetic isolation, and clear geographical boundaries (i.e. “Alpine”, “Balkan”, and “Apennine”...

Simple Summary: Natural selection, genetic drift, and migration mainly drive evolution within species. By studying intraspecific variation at different elevations within the wild carnation Dianthus virgineus, we found a low genetic isolation paralleled by a high phenotypic differentiation among populations. In this species, genetic variation is rel...

The herbarium digitization process is an essential first step in transforming the vast amount of data associated with a physical specimen into flexible digital data formats. In this framework, the Herbarium of the University of Pisa (international code PI), at the end of 2018 started a process of digitization focusing on one of its most relevant co...

In light of the ongoing biodiversity crisis, appropriate conservation strategies are urgently needed. The steadily increasing anthropogenic pressure on nature in Central Asian countries seriously threatens the fate of local species and their habitats. Here, we analyze the threats to the genus Tulipa (Liliaceae) in Uzbekistan and propose an appropri...

Vascular plants are good environmental indicators. Thus, floristic inventories have a high potential in environmental management since they reflect the current and past status of the environment. In this study, we used the flora of a suburban riverscape in central Italy to test the performance of the Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) approach, an...

There are about 3,000 botanic gardens worldwide, approximately hosting 6 million accessions of living plants, corresponding to ca. 80,000 taxa. Among them, 1,202 institutions actively contribute to ‘PlantSearch’, a global database implemented by the Botanic Garden Conservation International (hereafter BGCI), aimed to promote data sharing about ex s...

Da Leonardo Da Vinci ai giorni nostri, la Storia della Botanica in Italia viene raccontata dall’autore attraverso 280 brevi biografie dei principali personaggi, molti dei quali dei veri e propri giganti, che hanno contribuito allo sviluppo della “Scientia amabilis” svolgendo un ruolo importante per lo sviluppo e l’accumulo di conoscenze botaniche....

Nomenclatural and taxonomic information are crucial for curating botanical collections. In the course of changing methods for systematic and taxonomic studies, classification systems changed considerably over time (Dalla Torre and Harms 1900, Durand and Bentham 1888, Endlicher 1836, Angiosperm Phylogeny Group et al. 2016). Various approaches to sto...

Santolina is a clear example of a genus lying in an alpha-taxonomic status, with species accepted only based on qualitative morphological descriptions. In particular, taxonomic issues still need to be resolved for Santolina populations from southern France and north-eastern Spain, so that we carried out an integrative taxonomic study involving morp...

The Botanic Garden and Museum of the University of Pisa (hereafter BGM-PI) was founded in 1543 and currently covers an extension of 2.4 hectares, hosting in cultivation about 2,000 species (pertaining to 868 genera and 167 families). All the plants displayed to public are searchable through the online portal U-plant DISCOVER (https://uplantdiscover...

We present an updated list of the vascular flora occurring in the Cerbaie hills (Tuscany), a site of high naturalistic interest. The list is based on a literature survey and on field studies carried out in the years 2010–2022. The Cerbaie hills host a flora of 1,107 specific and subspecific taxa (including 100 naturalized aliens), 32 casual aliens...

Scientific research is the main driver to push forward and disseminate botanical knowledge. Despite many institutions have this fundamental aim as core activity, many of them do not have a complete set of facilities, expertise, staff and resources to cover all the steps involving the study, management, conservation and popularization of plant diver...

Sardinia and Corsica are two Mediterranean islands where the genus Armeria is represented by 11 taxa, 10 out of which are endemic. An integrative approach, using molecular phylogeny, karyology, seed and plant morphometry was used to resolve the complex taxonomy and systematics in this group. We found that several taxa are no longer supported by new...

In this paper the first complete phytochemical study of Stachys sylvatica (Lamiaceae) aerial parts, collected in Tuscan-Emilian Apennine, is reported. Twenty-three known compounds were isolated from the chloroform, chloroform-methanol 9:1, and methanol extracts; they were subsequently characterized by means of one- and two-dimensional nuclear magne...

This paper provides an updated overview, based on nomenclatural, taxonomical and distribution data published in 2021, on the native and alien vascular flora of Italy. The details on the occurrence at national and regional level and the lists of taxa occurring in Italy described in 2021 are provided.

Systematics and taxonomy are basic sciences and are crucial for all applications dealing with living organisms [...]

A list of the vascular flora occurring in the municipality of Empoli (province of Firenze, Tuscany) is provided. The list is based on a bibliographic analysis and on field studies carried out in the years 2018–2022. A total of 757 specific and subspecific taxa currently occur in the study area (including 117 aliens), plus 51 cultivated taxa. Azolla...

Vascular plants are good environmental indicators. Thus, floristic inventories have a high potential in environmental management since they reflect the current and past status of the environment. In this study, we used the flora of a suburban riverscape in central Italy to test the performance of the Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) approach, an...

Invasive alien species are among the main global drivers of biodiversity loss posing major challenges to nature conservation and to managers of protected areas. The present study applied a methodological framework that combined invasive Species Distribution Models, based on propagule pressure, abiotic and biotic factors for 14 invasive alien plant...

Botanical gardens are dynamic systems of high scientific, ecological, cultural, and historical value. They are irreplaceable places where to cultivate, manage, study, and preserve tree diversity. One of the ongoing biggest challenges worldwide in managing and preserving trees is the climate change, which exposes specimens to more stressful and seve...

New localities and/or confirmations concerning 85 specific and subspecific plant taxa of Tuscan vascular flora, belonging to 68 genera and 36 families are presented: Amaranthus (Amaranthaceae); Allium (Amaryllidaceae); Bifora, Bupleurum (Apiaceae); Arisarum (Araceae); Maianthemum, Ruscus (Asparagaceae); Bidens, Crepis, Galinsoga, Senecio, Taraxacum...

Based on new data derived from recent herbarium collections and observations, the distribution of the genus Alchemilla in Tuscany is updated. In particular, we report here 3 novelties at regional level, 5 at provincial level and 10 new localities for species already recorded at provincial level. Accordingly, the total number of species currently co...

The genus Santolina (Asteraceae, Anthemideae) includes 26 species of aromatic evergreen shrubs endemic to the western Mediterranean Basin. Santolina is widely used as ornamental plant, in xerigardening, and in ethnobotany. The Santolina chamaecyparissus complex, including about half of the known species diversity, has been properly investigated on...

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, and status changes to the Italian administrative regions. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as Suppl. material 1.

A traditional karyomorphological approach was carried out in order to investigate the cytotaxonomic relationships among the species of the Santolina chamaecyparissus complex. All the 14 species included in this species complex were analysed for a total of 39 populations. Metaphase plates were obtained by squashing root tips stained with Feulgen tec...

The Webb’s hyacinth (Bellevalia webbiana Parl., Asparagaceae) is an Italian narrow endemic species, listed as Endangered (EN A2c) in the IUCN Global Red List of Threatened Species. The range of this bulbous perennial herb is restricted to two disjunct areas of Central Italy, separated by the mountain ridge of Northern Apennine. To evaluate the impa...

A partire dal 2012, l'Orto e Museo Botanico fa parte del Sistema Museale di Ateneo dell'Università di Pisa come ente museale a sé stante, dotato di un Direttore e di un proprio staff tecnico-scientifico. Negli ultimi anni, l' Ateneo pisano ha investito molte risorse nella struttura, intraprendendo una serie di iniziative e attività volte a migliora...