Salvatore Brullo’s research while affiliated with University of Catania and other places

Taxonomical investigations on Solenopsis corsica occurring in Corsica and Sardinia revealed that it represents a species complex, within which some morphologically well distinct taxa can be recognized. The surveyed populations are closely related among them, especially for the habit, with very small leaf hairy rosettes, small-sized flowers with divaricate corolla lips. Apart from S. corsica s.str., widely spread in Corsica, other two new species, morphologically well differentiated can be recognized, they are: S. limbarae and S. corriasii, both occurring in northern Sardinia, where they are localized on the Limbara massif and in other nearby siliceous mountains. The diagnostic features that allow to distinguish these species encompass the size and shape of leaves, bracteoles, flowers, fruits, and seeds. In addition, other differences concern the shape and size of pollen grain and seed testa, as well as their micromorphology. Finally, chorology and ecology of these species are examined, as well as their detailed illustrations and an analytical key of the hitherto known Sardo-Corsican species of this genus are provided.

Allium serbicum is a critical and unappreciated species described from Serbia (Balkan Peninsula), and usually treated as a synonym of A. pallens or A. tenuiflorum. Based on living and herbarium material it was possible to clarify its morphology, karyology, leaf anatomy, pollen grain and seed testa microsculpturing, ecology and chorology of this very peculiar and rare endemic species. It is diploid with 2n = 16 chromosomes, and seems taxonomically quite isolated, since it is morphologically well differentiated from the other species of A. sect. Codonoprasum, with very specialized ecological requirements, being a glareicolous plant localized exclusively on calcareous screes. In addition, a second-step lectotypification, a detailed description, a new iconography, distribution map and conservation status are also provided.

The results of a syntaxonomic study regarding the vegetal perennial associations with a pioneer character, occurring on loose substrata of different types (screes, gravels, sands, metamorphic and volcanic clasts, etc.), from S Italy and Sicily are given. These plant communities are rich in chamaephytes and hemicryptophytes and occur from the coasts up to the mountain belt. They are referred to the order Scrophulario-Helichrysetalia italici, which is represented by two distinct alliances, as Linarion purpureae, circumscribed to montain and submontain territories, and Euphorbion rigidae, distributed in the coastal and hilly belts. For its remarkable floristic, ecologic and chorologic peculiarities, this order, at the beginning attributed to the class Thlaspietea rotundifolii, is now included in a new indipendent class: Scrophulario-Helichrysetea italici.

Allium dinaricum (Amaryllidaceae), a new species of A. sect. Codonoprasum from the NW Balkan Peninsula is described and illustrated. It is a late summer flowering geophyte occurring in several localities of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, where it usually grows in rupestrian calcareous stands from the coastal to mountain belts. The morphological traits, karyology (2n = 2x = 16), leaf anatomy, seed micromorphology and ecology of the new species are provided. Possible taxonomic relationships with other species occurring mainly in the E Mediterranean are also examined.

Micromeria silicii, a new species from St. Andrea (Svetac) and Biševo Islands of Dalmatia (Croatia) is described and illustrated. Previously, it was attributed to M. microphylla, but careful morphological investigation allowed to differentiate it from the latter. In order to emphasize the relationships with the other taxa currentelly attributed to M. microphylla group were examined also M. acropolitana, M. cypria, M. carpatha, M. hispida, M. sphaciotica and M. rodriguezii, which are distributed in various territories of the Mediterranean area. All these species were studied from the taxonomical, nomenclatural and chorological point of view, as well as a new icononography was provided for some of them. Besides, an analitical key for all investigated species is given too.

The species of Centranthus (Valerianaceae) belonging to C. sect. Nervosae are investigated. They are currently represented by C. trinervis from southern Corsica and C. amazonum from central-eastern Sardinia. In addition, a new isolated population has been discovered in southwestern Sardinia, which is morphologically and ecologically very differentiated from the other two known species. This population can be treated as new species, named C. pontecorvi, growing on screes constituted by Cambrian metacarbonates, localized in the Sulcitano-Iglesiente biogeographic sector. For each species, a detailed description and a new illustration based on living and herbarium materials are provided. Information on typification, synonymy, phenology, ecology, distribution, conservation status, and a list of examined herbarium specimens is also given. Furthermore, an updated identification key utilising the diagnostic traits of these three species has been elaborated.

In this study, the garrigues occurring in Apulia and neighboring territories (southern Italy) were surveyed in order to clarify their syntaxonomical arrangement. Many contributions previously focused on this vegetation type, often adopting different and sometimes contrasting treatments from both the nomenclature and syntaxonomical aspects. Our investigations are supported by the multivariate analysis of a dataset containing 292 phytosociological relevés, whose resulting cluster dendrogram highlights the hierarchical relationships between the examined plant communities. Overall, twenty-one associations with several sub-associations were recognized. Some of them are already known in the literature, whereas others are described here for the first time. As concerns the syntaxonomical framework, this vegetation is attributable to the class Cisto cretici-Micromerietea julianae, which in this territory is represented by the order Cisto eriocephali-Ericetalia manipuliflorae and by two alliances: Cisto eriocephali-Ericion multiflorae, grouping the more thermophilous associations usually distributed along coastlines and at low altitudes; and Cytiso spinescentis-Saturejion montanae, including the mesophilic associations occurring in mountain and sub-mountain belts.

The native species of the genus Limonium (Plumbaginaceae) occurring in the Maltese Islands are investigated. According to current literature, this genus is hitherto represented in this territory by L. virgatum, L. zeraphae and L. melitense, but recent field surveys led to the discovery of a new species growing exclusively on the islet of Cominotto and described as L. lanfrancoi. The latter, for some morphological features regarding the vegetative and reproductive traits, shows closer relationships with L. melitensis, from which, however, it differs in several diacritical characters. For each species, a detailed illustration and a new morphological description based on rich herbarium materials are provided, as well as information on their typification, synonymy, phenology, ecology, distribution, conservation status and a list of examined herbarium specimens is given. Besides, an updating analytical key has been elaborated.

The name Anthemis aetnensis Spreng. is lectotypified with a specimen from the personal collec tion of Sprengel kept in the Paris Herbarium (P), and its duplicates (isolectotypes) are traced at G and K.

The populations usually attributed to Solenopsis bivonae (Tineo) M.B.Crespo, Serra & A.Juan are investigated from a taxonomical and morphological viewpoint. Within this species complex, four new subspecies occurring in Sicily and Calabria are recognized, such as subsp. bivonae, subsp. madoniarum, subsp. peloritana and subsp. brutia. In addition, a new species from Cyprus described as S. meikleana and S. bacchettae from Sardinia must be included in this group. The synonymy, typification, description, seed testa morphology, chorology, ecology, illustrations, conservation status, and examined specimens for each taxon are provided. Besides, the analytical keys, distribution maps, and phytosociological arrangement regarding these taxa are given too.