Relevant habitats neglected by the Directive 92/43 EEC: the contribution of Vegetation Science for their reappraisal in Sicily

Field investigation carried out by the Sicilian botanists in the last 20 years enabled them to identify eight habitat types of high biogeographic and conservation interest, neglected by the Directive 92/43, which deserve ad hoc conservation measures. For each of these habitats, a syntaxonomic interpretation of the corresponding plant communities, their main ecological, physiognomic and syndynamic traits and a list of diagnostic species are provided. Their classification into the macrotypes listed in the Annex I of the Directive 92/43 and the respective correspondence in EUNIS habitat classification are proposed. The habitats here described integrate those already proposed by the Italian Botanical Society, with the hope of an adequate recognition at national at supranational level.

T. H. Huxley’s turbulent apprenticeship years: John Charles Cooke and the John Salt scandal

Thomas Henry Huxley’s early medical apprenticeships (between 1838 and 1842) were largely a family affair. They were overseen by one brother-in-law, John Charles Cooke, in Coventry, and another brother-in-law, John Godwin Salt, in London. With both Cooke and Salt teaching at Sydenham College, a private medical school in London, young Huxley too attended this cheap anatomy school in its final year (1841–1842). Huxley developed an interest in botany under Cooke, who was the Professor of Toxicology at the Medico-Botanical Society in 1842. But the brothers-in-law led chaotic lives. Cooke over-indulged in beer and opium, grew corpulent, and eventually failed to make a living teaching. Salt was involved in a previously unexplained scandal, which equally had an impact on the young Huxley. Shortly after Huxley ceased living with John and Eliza Salt (Huxley’s favourite sister), John Salt was jailed for a second time as an insolvent debtor. Huxley was privy to events, sympathetic to the family, and facilitated their flight from the country in 1846.

The All-Russian scientific conference with international participation «XI Galkina’s Readings» (St. Petersburg, April 21, 2021)

The annual anniversary conference in memoriam of Ekaterina Alekseevna Galkina — the “XI Galkina’s Readings” (Proceedings…, 2021) was organized by the Mire section of the Russian Botanical Society on April 21, 2021. It was dedicated to the 50-years since publishing of monography by N. Ya. Kats “Mires of the Globe” (1971). In 2021 it was one-day online conference. It was attended by 65 participants. The main topic to discuss was “Geographic diversity of mires”. Much attention was focused on problems of mire regionality, typology of mires and mire distribution. Great interest among the participants was caused by report on montane mires. The final discussion was focused on mire terminology, interrelations between forest and mire and research perspectives.

Contribution to the floristic knowledge of Sillaro, Santerno, and Senio high valleys (Toscana, Italy)

The inventory of the taxa collected during the annual field trip of the working group for Floristics, Systematics and Evolution of the Italian Botanical Society is reported. The field trip was held in 2019 along the Sillaro, Santerno, and Senio high valleys located in Toscana (central Italy). The flora documented for the studied area amounts to 492 specific and subspecific taxa (including five hybrids), belonging to 254 genera and 77 families. Bromopsis caprina, Ophrys appennina, O. classica, Polygala flavescens subsp. flavescens, and Pulmonaria vallarsae subsp. apennina were the only five Italian endemics found in the study area, whereas 28 alien taxa were detected. Finally, nine taxa (seven native and two alien) have to be considered as new records for the regional flora of Toscana.

Typification of the name Eryngium siculum (Apiaceae)

As part of an ongoing study on the names of vascular plants described from Sicily (e.g., Di Gristina et al. 2012, Domina et al. 2014, 2016, Di Gristina et al. 2017, Domina et al. 2017a, 2017b, Scafidi & Domina 2019, Di Gristina et al. 2020), a nomenclature study of the name Eryngium siculum Lojacono-Pojero (1906: 294) (Apiaceae Lindl.), which appears to be yet untypified (see Domina et al. 2014, Peruzzi et al. 2015), is here presented. The present study, which deals with the untypified name Eryngium siculum Lojacono-Pojero (1906: 294), falls within the researches promoted by the Italian Botanical Society aimed to recognize and typify all the taxa described from Italy, in order to increase their systematic knowledge and promote further studies (Peruzzi et al. 2015, Brundu et al. 2017, Peruzzi et al. 2019).

Typification of the name Gypsophila gasparrinii (Caryophyllaceae)

The present contribution is part of an ongoing work promoted by the Italian Botanical Society and aimed to recognize and typify all the taxa described from Italy and their loci classici, in order to increase their systematic knowledge and to promote further studies (Domina et al. 2012, Peruzzi et al. 2015, 2019, Brundu et al. 2017). One of these taxa is Petrorhagia saxifraga (Linnaeus 1753: 413) Link (1829: 235) subsp. gasparrinii (Gussone 1843: 474) Pignatti ex Greuter & Burdet in Greuter & Raus (1984: 44), based on the name Gypsophila gasparrinii Gussone (1843: 474) (Caryophyllaceae Juss.), that appears still untypified.

In memoriam: Vladislav Ivanovich Vasilevich (1935–2020)

Russian Botanical Society, Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and all Russian geobotany have suffered a huge irreparable loss. On May 2 2020 after a serious illness the greatest geobotanist of Russia, Doctor of Biology, Professor Vladislav Ivanovich Vasilevich left us. V. I. Vasilevich was born in 1935 in the town of Vyatskie Polyany, Kirov Region, in the family of a school teacher. After graduating fr om high school, in 1953 he entered the Leningrad State University, wh ere he specialized in the Department of Geobotany under the supervision by Professor A. P. Shennikov. After graduating from the University and post-graduate studies, in 1960 he was enrolled in the Laboratory of Experimental Geobotany of the Komarov Botanical Institute. All his scientific life was completely connected with the Institute. V. I. Vasilevich went from a junior researcher of the Laboratory of Experimental Geobotany to the ­Institute Deputy Director of the for scientific work. He was the Head of the Laboratory of the Forest Zone Vegetation, the Head of the Department of Geobotany, and the Chief Researcher of the Laboratory of Geobo­tany. For many years, he was a member of the Scienti­fic and Dissertation Councils of the Komarov Botanical Institute. He was the organizer and the leader of many geobotanical expeditions. The geography of his field research was truly diverse. Vladislav Ivanovich brilliantly knew not only the vegetation of the North-West of Russia, but also of many other regions of USSR (Kazakhstan, Taymyr, the Middle Urals, the Western Caspian, etc.). In the person of Vladislav Vasilevich, Russian vegetation science has lost an outstanding scientist, the greatest specialist in theoretical phytocoenology, vegetation classification, and the study of biodiversity (Vasilevich, 1971, 1985, 2010, etc.). He proposed the quantitative method of dominant-determinant classification (the “dominant-floristic method”) based on the analysis of the uniformity of distribution of species with similar ecology in a certain groups of plant communities (Vasilevich, 1995). Using this method, V. I. Vasilevich and his colleagues developed a detailed classification of plant communities of the North-West of Russia that has resulted in numerous publications (Vasilevich, 2000; Vasilevich, Bibikova, 2003, 2011; etc.) He had published about 300 scientific papers and two monographs “Statistical methods in geobotany” (Vasilevich, 1969) and “Essays on theoretical phytocoenology” (Vasilevich, 1983), that had a huge impact on the development of vegetation science in Russia. He was an editor of many proceedings of scientific papers and collective monographs. In 1994, he was awarded the title “Honored scientist of the Russian Federation”. He was awarded the medal of the Order “For Merits to the Motherland”. Vladislav Ivanovich greatly contributed to the training of young scientists: 5 doctoral and 15 PhD theses were defended under his supervision. For many years, he gave lectures at the Department of geobotany of Saint Petersburg University in the specialities “Biometrics”, “Vegetation classification”, “Geobotanical subdivision”, “Vegetation of the North-West of Russia”, “Special chapters in geobotany”. He led the course “Phytocoenology” for graduate students of the Komarov Botanical Institute. Numerous students of him work in various regions of Russia and abroad. Vladislav Ivanovich devoted a lot of time and efforts to the work in the Russian Botanical Society (RBO). He was a Scientific Secretary, a Member of the Presidium, and a Vice-President of the RBO, Chairman of the Section of Geobotany of the RBO, a member of the Organizing Committees of the XII International Botanical Congress and Delegates’ Congresses of the RBO. The memory of Vladislav Ivanovich Vasilevich — an outstanding geobotanist, theoretician, teacher, and organizer of science — will always remain in our hearts.

Macromycetes of the Palace Park in Poznań-Radojewo (Wielkopolska Region, Poland)

This work aimed to present the diversity of fungal species in the Poznań- Radojewo park. It was characterized based on literature data, unpublished master’s theses, the authors’ data, as well as data collected during two mycological trips organized by the Mycological Section of the Polish Botanical Society. Between 1980 and 2017, as many as 333 species of macromycetes have been found within the park in Poznań-Radojewo (among them 19% are rare and endangered), including eight protected species (<em>Mitrophora </em><em>semilibera</em>, <em>Morchella esculenta </em>(var. <em>esculenta </em>and var. <em>umbrina</em>), <em>Geastrum corollinum</em>, <em>G. fornicatum</em>, <em>Hericium coralloides, </em>and <em>Myriostoma coliforme</em>), as well as two species new to the Polish mycobiota: <em>Psathyrella bipellis </em>and <em>P. larga</em>. The park in Poznań-Radojewo is very important for maintaining a high species diversity of fungi within the city of Poznań. During revitalization works, it is of paramount importance to take the needs of rare, threatened, and protected species under consideration and to preserve the natural character of plant communities. It is also vital to ensure the presence of coarse woody debris at different decomposition phases, which serves as an important substratum type for rare fungi.

Typification of the name Iris benacensis A.Kern. ex Stapf (Iridaceae)

The present contribution is related to the project “Italian loci classici census”, promoted by the Italian Botanical Society and aimed at recognizing and typifying all the names of the taxa described from Italy and their loci classici, in order to increase their systematic knowledge and promote further studies (Domina et al. 2012; Brundu et al. 2012; Peruzzi et al. 2019). One of these taxa is Iris benacensis A.Kern. ex Stapf (1887: 649), a species of hybrid origin, often regarded as a heterotypic synonym of I. aphylla Linnaeus (1753: 38) or I. variegata Linnaeus (1753: 38), even if morphologically and genetically distinct (Colasante & Mathew 2008). Iris benacensis was first observed by A. Kerner in northern Italy, near Arco (Trento), and formally described by Stapf (1887). To date, the occurrence of I. benacensis is confirmed only for the Southern Alps, in Trentino Alto Adige near the Lake Garda (known to the Romans as Benacus, from which the name of the species), while the report for Austria needs to be confirmed (Colasante 2014). To the best of our knowledge, the name Iris benacensis was not yet typified.