Adil GÜNER, Vehbi ESER - optima

Posters
108
NEW DATA ON DIVERSITY OF PYRUS (ROSACEAE) IN SICILY
Francesco M. RAIMONDO, Rosario SCHICCHI, Pietro MAZZOLA
Dipartimento di Scienze Botaniche dell'Università, Palermo, Italy; raimondo@unipa.it
The high diversity in the genus Pyrus, in Sicily, has recently allowed the description of some
news species – i.e. P. vallis-demonis, P. castribonensis and P. sicanorum – in addition to the
previously known P. spinosa, P. pyraster and P. communis. Recent observations have also
stressed the great variability of the populations and the hardeness to definite the most
meaningful and frequent expressions of the variation within taxonomic units. The genetic
diversity of the above mentioned new taxa has been also compared with P. spinosa, P.
pyraster and P. communis. The results show a high similarity between P. castribonensis and
P. spinosa, and between these and P. communis and P. pyraster. P. sicanorum appears rather
distinct; finally, P. vallis-demonis, appearing close to P. cordata, is therefore quite distinct
from all the above mentioned taxa.This variability is referred to both previous and active
hybridation processes, as well as to the gene flow between the wild taxa and the huge number
of P. communis cultivated forms, produced by millenary agricultural activity in Sicily. Infact,
about 150 ethno-varieties have so far been counted, more than 50% of which occur in the
Madonie mountains, that are among the most important Sicilian centres of wild diversity.
Another remarkable centre is found on the Nebrodi mountains, where the census of cultivated
forms is still in progress.
In this context, a new population consisting of different aged indiduals which constantly bear
peculiar morphological characteristics has been found confined in the Mediterraneantemperate
belt of the Madonie mountains. It could be delimited as a new taxon of specific
rank related to P. spinosa.
Keywords: Taxonomy, Rosaceae, Maloideae, Sicilian flora.
44