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Scientific research is the main driver to push forward and disseminate botanical knowledge. Despite many institutions having this fundamental aim as a core activity, many of them do not have a complete set of facilities, expertise, staff, and resources to cover all the steps involved in the study, management, conservation, and popularization of plant diversity. Accordingly, we propose a workflow formalizing the cooperation between a botanical garden and a botanical research center, focused on the study of plant endemic species. Specifically, the cooperation was implemented between the PLANTSEED Lab of the Department of Biology and the Botanic Garden and Museum of the University of Pisa. We present seven representative case studies (Armeria arenaria complex, Bellevalia webbiana, Crocus etruscus and C. ilvensis, Dianthus virgineus complex, Pulmonaria hirta complex, and Santolina chamaecyparissus complex) to disentangle the approaches and opportunities arising from cooperative approaches, from laboratory to cultivation. We analyze the emerging properties derived from this synergistic cooperation by promoting open research questions and answering them using a comprehensive approach to improving endemic plant species research, conservation, and popularization in the botanical garden. In this manuscript, we show how a cooperative approach between heterogeneous botanical institutions can constitute an effective and easy-to-implement approach to achieve the goals of each partner involved in the cooperation.

SummaryRemote sensing is a fundamental tool to monitor biodiversity over large spatial extents. However, it is still not clear whether spectral diversity (SD - variation of spectral response across a set of pixels) may represent a fast and reliable proxy for different biodiversity facets such as taxonomic (TD) and functional diversity (FD) across different spatial scales.We used fine resolution (3 cm) multispectral imagery on coastal dune communities in Italy to explore SD patterns across spatial scales and assess SD relationships with TD and FD along the environmental gradient.We measured TD as species richness, while SD and FD were computed using probability densities functions based on pixels and species position in multivariate spaces based on pixel values and traits, respectively. We assessed how SD is related to TD and FD, we compared SD and FD patterns in multivariate space occupation, and we explored diversity patterns across spatial scales using additive partitioning (i.e., plot, transect, and study area).We found a strong correspondence between the patterns of occupation of the functional and spectral spaces and significant relationships were found along the environmental gradient. TD showed no significant relationships with SD. However, TD and SD showed higher variation at broader scale while most of FD variation occurred at plot level.By measuring FD and SD with a common methodological framework, we demonstrate the potential of SD in approximating functional patterns in plant communities. We show that SD can retrieve information about FD at very small scale, which would otherwise require very intensive sampling efforts. Overall, we show that SD retrieved using high resolution images is able to capture different aspects of FD, so that the occupation of the spectral space is analogous to the occupation of the functional space. Studying the occupation of both spectral and functional space brings a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence the distribution and abundance of plant species across environmental gradients.

Botanical gardens are dynamic systems of high scientific, ecological, cultural, and historical value. They are irreplaceable places to cultivate, manage, study, and preserve tree diversity. One of the ongoing biggest challenges worldwide in managing and preserving trees is climate change, which exposes specimens to more stressful and severe environmental conditions, causing an increase in mortality. In our research, we aimed to assess the future climate change impact on the tree collection of Botanic Garden of Pisa in order to outline the expected consequences about tree cultivation and management. Under the most pessimistic scenario, in 2090 more than 60% of the tree species cultivated in the Botanic Garden of Pisa are expected to fall outside of their climatic niche. Future chances and pitfalls in managing urban green areas, focusing on the botanical garden community, are also explored.

The vast amount of occurrence records currently available offers increasing opportunities for biodiversity data analyses. This amount of data poses new challenges for the reliability and correct interpretation of the results. Indeed, to safely deal with occurrence records, their uncertainty and associated biases should be taken into account. We developed an R package to explicitly include spatial and temporal uncertainties during the mapping and listing of plant occurrence records for a given study area. Our workflow returns two objects: (a) a ‘Map of Relative Floristic Ignorance’ (MRFI), which represents the spatial distribution of the lack of floristic knowledge; (b) a ‘Virtual Floristic List’ (VFL), i.e. a list of taxa potentially occurring in the area with an associated probability of occurrence. The method implemented in the package can manage a large amount of occurrence data and represents relative floristic ignorance across a study area with a sustainable computational effort. Several parameters can be set by the user, conferring high flexibility to the method. Uncertainty is not avoided, but incorporated into biodiversity analyses through appropriate methodological approaches and innovative spatial representations. Our study introduces a workflow that pushes forward the analytical capacities to deal with uncertainty in biological occurrence records, allowing to produce more reproducible outputs.

IDPlanT is the Italian Database of Plant Translocation, an initiative of the Nature Conservation Working Group of the Italian Botanical Society. IDPlanT currently includes 185 plant translocations. The establishment of a national database on plant translocation is a key step forward in data sharing and techniques improvement in this field of plant conservation. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2021.1985004.

Marine litter accumulates in coastal dunes and causes severe damages to these fragile ecosystems. This study analyzed the composition, cover and distribution of marine litter and its relation to vegetation cover in a Mediterranean dune system, located in a protected area facing the Ligurian Sea (Northern Italy). We sampled twenty-two permanent multiscale plots in spring and autumn. Litter was detected in all plots and artificial polymer materials were the dominant type (85%). Litter categories increased from spring to autumn mainly due to seaside tourism. The largest spatial scale (16 m2) explained the variability in waste composition better than the smaller ones (4 m2, 1 m2). Finally, the vegetation cover correlated inversely with the turnover of litter categories, suggesting that plants may act as a barrier to litter transport by trapping it, and that they play a role in the spatio-temporal dynamics of coastal litter.

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 as information on typification for the taxa described before 1 January 1958. The names without a holotype are 1,165. For 591 names a lecto- or neo-typification is available in literature, while 572 currently accepted taxa still need a type designation. For ten of these names showing previous ineffective typification, nomenclatural types are designated here ( Allium savii , A. tenuiflorum , Anemone millefoliata , Catapodium tuberculosum , Cynosurus siculus , Filago congesta , Saponaria bellidifolia , Sclerochloa patens , S. zwierleinii , and Vicia leucantha ). A new combination ( Trisetaria aurea comb. nov. ) is proposed. The general picture of the currently accepted taxa of vascular plants described from Italy, including endemics, amounts to 2,631, i.e. about 32% of the native flora currently recorded for the country.

Floristic inventories are an essential part of basic and applied research in botany. Despite a long history in floristic investigations, they are still conducted following non-objective (preferential) sampling approaches. Accordingly, final outputs (i) are extremely variable in the quality and quantity of collected data, (ii) are fully dependent on the researcher ability, and (iii) miss any possibility to perform statistical analyses. The aim of this work is to explore the drafting of a floristic inventory by means of probabilistic approaches, based on geostatistical designs aimed to locate samplings units (plots) in the study area. We planned, carried out and then compared two different sampling strategies: (i) ‘basic strategy’, a stratified random sampling design based solely on a spatial optimization criterion (no prior information is available), and (ii) ‘advanced strategy’, a sampling design based on the maximisation of the spectral heterogeneity among sampling units, quantified in terms of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index values (NDVI). The strategy that maximises collected floristic information was assessed based on a combination of descriptive and quantitative statistics, such as the completeness of the floristic inventory, the steepness of the rarefaction curves, the sampling time effort, and the plot contribution to the total β diversity. The 'advanced strategy' detected more species than the 'basic strategy' in all the sampling sites. Again, the rarefaction curve obtained with 'advanced strategy' is steeper in accumulating species in respect to the 'basic strategy'. The analysis of the contribution of each plot to the total β diversity showed that the 'advanced strategy' selects sampling units having a more homogeneously distributed contribution among plots, and that they are better spatially arranged across the study area to capture environmental peculiarities of sampling sites. Accordingly, the 'advanced strategy' is more effective than the 'basic' one in drafting a species inventory, in the face of just a little more effort in the design of the sampling strategy. The algorithm proposed to perform the 'advanced strategy', proposed here for the first time, can be profitably and freely applied to every geographic location and vegetation context.

In this contribution new chromosome data obtained on material collected in Italy are presented. It includes 9 chromosome counts for Polygala (Polygalaceae), Dianthus and Silene (Caryophyllaceae).

Isolated populations are usually subject to low fitness and reduced genetic diversity, both of which may negatively affect their survival and adaptive potential. Hence, these issues cannot be neglected when planning conservation actions for isolated populations. The Italian population of Cistus laurifolius subsp. laurifolius is extremely isolated. Furthermore, it is affected by fragmentation, being constituted by a single larger subpopulation, surrounded by three much smaller subpopulations, a few hundred metres to a few kilometres apart. In order to fill gaps in demographic and genetic knowledge concerning the Italian population, its area of occupancy, size, age-stage structure and phenology were investigated and its reproductive fitness, pollination strategies and genetic variability were assessed. The population was inferred as fully xenogamous and showed good reproductive performance. Despite this, its genetic variability was low and it showed relatively high levels of inbreeding depression (Fis), seemingly not affected by sub-population size. These results suggest that the Italian population recently suffered fragmentation and reduction in size. The low genetic diversity observed could be explained by the high percentage of mature individuals found in the population, possibly established before fragmentation. For these reasons, the Italian population of C. laurifolius subsp. laurifolius should be monitored and concrete actions aimed at its conservation planned.

In this contribution, new data concerning the Italian distribution of alien vascular flora are presented. It includes new records, exclusions, confirmations, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions for taxa in the genera Acer, Amaranthus, Araujia, Aubrieta, Avena, Bidens, Calycanthus, Celtis, Elaeagnus, Eragrostis, Euonymus, Fallopia, Ficus, Hedera, Lantana, Ligustrum, Ludwigia, Morus, Oenothera, Opuntia, Oxalis, Parkinsonia, Paspalum, Paulownia, Platycladus, Pleuropterus, Rumex, Salvia, Senecio, Setaria, Syagrus, Tradescantia, Trifolium and Yucca. Furthermore, a new combination in the genus Vicia is proposed.

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions of taxa in the genera Abies, Actinidia, Aloe, Amaryllis, Anredera, Arctotheca, Bidens, Cardiospermum, Celosia, Commelina, Cotoneaster, Cyclamen, Eclipta, Euphorbia, Grevillea, Hedera, Hibiscus, Impatiens, Juglans, Kalanchoe, Koelreuteria, Lindernia, Melinis, Myriophyllum, Nandina, Nicotiana, Oenothera, Oxalis, Parthenocissus, Phoenix, Phyllanthus, Physalis, Plumbago, Pteris, Quercus, Setaria, Symphytum, Tagetes, and Washingtonia. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere are provided as Suppl. material 1.

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions of taxa in the genera Bunias, Calocedrus, Calycanthus, Celosia, Clerodendrum, Convolvulus, Crassula, Cyclamen, Datura, Dicliptera, Eragrostis, Erigeron, Gamochaeta, Gazania, Impatiens, Kolkwitzia, Leucaena, Ludwigia, Medicago, Muscari, Nigella, Oenothera, Opuntia, Paulownia, Petroselinum, Phyllostachys, Physalis, Pseudosasa, Quercus, Reynoutria, Roldana, Saccharum, Sedum, Semiarundinaria, Senecio, Sisyrinchium, Solanum, Sporobolus, Tulipa, Vachellia, Verbena, and Youngia. Nomenclatural and distribution updates published elsewhere are provided as Suppl. material 1.

Unravelling patterns of species richness is a fundamental prerequisite to understand evolutionary and ecological dynamics, aiding to set efficient conservation activities. The Species-Area Relationship (SAR) is one of the most general patterns in ecology. Focusing on a Mediterranean area as case study, we investigated SAR and the drivers underlying species richness. We gathered data from all vascular floras published for circumscribed areas in Tuscany after 1970 and then we fitted SAR models based on Arrhenius’ power function for the whole established flora, and for native and alien species separately. SAR residuals, which express the actual species richness free of area-effect, were modelled through spatially explicit Generalised Linear Models using geographic, climatic, and anthropogenic explanatory variables. The most relevant predictor for species richness is the grain of the study area, while environmental drivers play a minor role. Topographic heterogeneity and the amount of precipitation show a positive effect on total floristic richness, while the spatial heterogeneity of annual temperature range shows a negative effect. Native and alien species richness are positively correlated, but different combinations of drivers are involved to explain the patterns of the two different species pools. A fundamental factor driving species richness is the insularity: islands host, proportionally, fewer native species and more alien species than mainland areas. Alien species richness is positively affected by landscape heterogeneity. Finally, we present for the first time a method to draft maps of SAR-predicted floristic richness, integrated by the influence of environmental drivers.

After several decades of research, dynamics and patterns of mating system in floral evolution remain incompletely understood, especially with regards to strategies that combine both outcrossing and selfing, as frequently recorded in the genus Campanula. Data about temporal and spatial dynamics of secondary pollen presentation are still scarce in literature: we investigated them using Campanula medium (Campanulaceae) as case study. Experimental pollinations were conducted under natural conditions, to characterise the breeding system of this species. Effects on stigma opening and stigma receptivity of stylar pollen presence were investigated in manipulated flowers. The temporal dynamics and fitness of male and female functional phases were estimated. Flower visitors and their interactions with sexual parts of the flower were also annotated. C. medium is xenogamous and self-incompatible, with a clear temporal separation between sexual functional phases. Floral lifespan is shortened by experimental outcrossing. Removal of pollen from the style shortened the time span of male function. Pollen viability was highest at the beginning of the anthesis, decreasing during the flowering period, whereas stigmatic receptivity shows an opposite trend. We found a severe pollen limitation in the studied population. Bees were the most frequent floral visitors. In some of these insects we observed stereotyped interactions with the reproductive structures of the flower, in particular with the pollen, exposed along the upper and median portion of the style. Sexual phases in C. medium are inversely correlated and finely spatially and temporally coordinated, since stigma maturation is scalar along its length and depends on pollen presence on the style. Overall, our findings push forward the knowledge on reproductive strategies in Campanula.

The site and time of origin of angiosperms are still debated. The co-occurrence of many of the early branching lineages of flowering plants in a region somewhere between Australia and the SW Pacific islands suggests a possible Gondwanan origin of angiosperms. The recent recognition of Zealandia, a 94% submerged continent in the east of Australia, could explain the discrepancy between molecular clocks and fossil records about the age of angiosperms, supporting the old Darwinian hypothesis of a “lost continent” to explain the “abominable mystery” regarding the origin and rapid radiation of flowering plants.

In this contribution new chromosome data obtained on material collected in Italy are presented. It includes 7 chromosome counts for Centaurea (Asteraceae).

Environmental changes can affect the distribution and conservation of plant populations, therefore the study of the ability to modulate reproductive and vegetative traits is of large interest. Cistus laurifolius is a shrub typically occurring in Mediterranean open vegetation, often under different degrees of habitat light intensity. In the present work, we investigated reproductive and leaf traits to assess the ability of this species to cope with unfavorable / suboptimal conditions. We quantified fruit set, seed set and seed mass under different conspecific plant density and light conditions, whereas vegetative traits were assessed through the measurement of plant height, Specific Leaf Area (SLA), and Leaf Dry Matter Content (LDMC). Results show that plants of Cistus laurifolius are able to adjust both SLA and LDMC under shaded conditions, but produce fewer seeds with reduced seed mass compared with plants under full light. We conclude that plants are able to modulate their vegetative traits maximizing the carbon gain under shaded conditions, but they are not able to offset the carbon balance deficit and therefore fail to convoy adequate resources to reproductive traits. Our results also highlight that the reproductive fitness is positively affected by conspecific plant density, but negatively affected by canopy coverage.

In this contribution new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, exclusion, extinction and confirmations to the Italian administrative regions for taxa in the generaAndrosace,Artemisia,Fragaria,Melampyrum,Myosotis,Petrorhagia,Phillyrea,Rosa,Rumex,Spiranthes,Trifolium, andVicia. Furthermore, a new combination in the genusOmalothecais proposed.

We provide nomenclatural and taxonomical information on the names of sixteen taxa treated by Roberto de Visiani from Egypt and Nubia (Sudan) in his 1836 work ‘Enumerazione ed illustrazione di alcune piante dell’Egitto e della Nubia con otto tavole in rame’. We designate ten lectotypes (for Chrozophora brocchiana, Convolvulus lasiospermus, Corchorus fruticulosus, Croton obliquifolium, Heliotropium brocchianum, Lithospermum obtusum, Trianthema sedifolia, Trigonella arguta, Trigonella dura, and Volkameria acerbiana), and one neotype (for Convolvulus lasiospermus).

Gaetano Savi (1769–1844) worked at the University of Pisa and was a prominent figure among Italian botanists of the XIX century. He published about 75 scientific papers, primarily devoted to floristic researches and taxonomical investigations. During his career, he described 89 taxa of vascular plants (6 genera and 83 species). In the frame of a typification project devoted to the names described by Gaetano Savi (D’Antraccoli et al. 2015), we found that up to now only 8 names (ca. 9%) have been typified (Zohary & Heller 1984, Baldini & Jarvis 1991, Garbari & Cecchi 2000, Selvi & Cecchi 2009, O’Leary 2010, Amadei et al. 2013, 2015, Alonso et al. 2016). One of the names still lacking a typification is Rosa agrestis Savi (1798: 475), a species occurring in the most part of Europe, Russia, Anatolia and in the North-Western part of Africa (Silvestre & Montserrat 1998). Rosa agrestis belongs to R. sect. Caninae Candolle (1818: 3) emend. Christ (1873: 36), the most numerous and taxonomically complex section in Europe (Bruneau et al. 2007, De Cock et al. 2008). However, since its description, R. agrestis was recognized as a distinct species by most authors (e.g. Kláštersky 1968, Pignatti 1982, Lattanzi & Tilia 2002, Tison & de Foucault 2014).

The online platform “Wikiplantbase #Toscana” provides a framework where the full set of georeferenced floristic records of Tuscany (central Italy) can be entered, stored, updated and freely accessed through the Internet. As of 5 January 2015, the database stores 67,360 floristic records, referable to 3578 accepted specific and subspecific taxa. Most records are based on published data (80.6% of the total), then by published herbarium specimens (15.1%) and on unpublished field data (3.8%); unpublished herbarium records account only for 0.5% of the stored data. At present, the most represented species is the fern Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn subsp. aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae) with 234 records for 219 localities, but 625 species are still represented only by one record for a single locality. Data acquisition is far from complete, but in slightly more than one year a massive amount of data was accumulated, and can be maintained up-to-date with relatively little effort. This could power several researches su...

The present contribution is part of an ongoing work promoted by the Italian Botanical Society aimed to recognize and typify all the taxa described from Italy and their loci classici, in order to increase their systematic knowledge and promote further studies (Domina et al. 2012, Peruzzi et al. 2015).