Rocky habitats are suitable refuges for numerous rare and endemic plants. Due to their inaccessibility and the unreliability of traditional survey methods, assessing the survival status of these plants is quite a hard task. In order to address this sampling issue, we employed the drones and carried several field activities to investigate the vascular flora of Rocca di Novara massif located in Northeastern Sicily (NE Sicily hereafter). Located on the southern border of the Peloritani Mountains, Rocca di Novara, also known as Rocca Salvatesta, is a small carbonate massif and it represents one of the highest and most characteristic peaks in NE Sicily. According to our investigation, 300 taxa have been recorded, belonging to 189 genera and 51 different families. The results obtained show the presence of 13 endemic species to Italy (4.3%) and 12 strictly endemic to Sicily (4%). Some taxa of high phytogeographical value have been detected, such as Aubrieta columnae subsp. sicula, Daphne oleoides subsp. oleoides, Edraianthus graminifolius subsp. siculus, Fritillaria messanensis, Odontites bocconei subsp. bocconei, Phelipanche gussoneana, Saxifraga callosa subsp. australis. This latest species was rediscovered after 100 years on the high cliffs of Rocca di Novara thanks to the use of the drone imagery. Our results provide valuable insights into the floristic diversity of Rocca di Novara and offers a solid starting point for further phytogeographical and floristic studies on the vascular plants of the Peloritani district.

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 overestimating the length of short arms in a karyotype. As a consequence, the parameters most sensitive to these possible errors are CV_CI and CV_CL, and to a less degree M_CA and THL. To achieve more stable results among observers, a still lacking standardized measurement protocol could be helpful.

This study presents a complete and updated checklist of the vascular flora of the SAC “Bosco di Santo Pietro”, an important natural area located in south-eastern Sicily. Through an integrated approach combining field research, analysis of historical herbariums and a literature review, 583 taxa belonging to 78 families and 339 genera were identified. A comparison with an older floristic list of the Santo Pietro Forest dating back to 1889 highlights some significant changes, such as a decrease in several hygrophilous and nemoral species probably due to climate change and habitat degradation. In particular, our diachronic analysis reveals the disappearance of 178 taxa and the persistence of 199 taxa representing 47% and 53% of the 377 taxa listed in the first inventory, respectively. From the study of the Ellenberg indicator of the two lists, lower values of L and T and higher values of M and N emerge in the older flora, testifying to the significant environmental modifications for more than a century of this Sicilian and Mediterranean hotspot.

Diplotaxis (Brassicaceae) is a genus widely distributed in the temperate areas of Europe, Asia and Africa, reaching its greatest diversity in NW Africa, Cape Verde and the Mediterranean area. In eastern Africa, this genus is only represented by D. harra (Forssk.) Boiss. in Somalia and Djibouti, while no native species of Diplotaxis have been recorded from Ethiopia. The finding of Diplotaxis kohlaanensis A.G. Mill. & J.A. Nyberg, originally described from northern Yemen, is here reported for the first time in the Simien Mountains. Our finding has a particular phytogeographical and ecological significance, highlighting the relevant floristic relationships of the Arabian Peninsula mountains with the Ethiopian highlands. In addition, our investigations confirm the outstanding number of exclusive taxa shared by these two areas testifying to the past phytogeographical connection between these two territories. D. kohlaanensis is localised on the high-altitude cliffs, which represent a highly conservative environment for relict species. Finally, the taxonomical relationships of this taxon within the Diplotaxis harra complex are also examined.

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. officinalis subsp. huthii, P. officinalis subsp. italica, and P. peregrina). Our results point towards a homogeneous karyotype asymmetry and structure among studied tetraploid species, with no statistically significant difference among taxa and high overlap in variation highlighted by PCA.