Chromosome numbers for the Italian flora: 17

Chromosome numbers for the Italian flora: 17 Antonio Giacò1, Luca Paino2, Liliana Bernardo3, Paolo Caputo2, Emanuele Del Guacchio2, Simone Orsenigo4, Giacomo Baldesi4, Giulia Ginelli4, Daniela Calzoni4 1 PLANTSEED Lab, Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, Via Derna 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy 2Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, via Foria 223, 80137 Napoli, Italy 3Dipartimento di Biologia, Ecologia e Scienze della Terra, Università della Calabria (Cosenza), via Pietro Bucci, 87036 Quattromiglia, Italy 4Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università degli studi di Pavia, via Sant’Epifanio, 14, 27100 Pavia, Italy Corresponding author: Antonio Giacò (antonio[email protected]) Academic editor: Lorenzo Peruzzi |Received 1 December 2025|Accepted 9 December 2025|Published 22 December 2025 Citation: Giacò A, Paino L, Bernardo L, Caputo P, Del Guacchio E, Orsenigo S, Baldesi G, Ginelli G, Calzoni D (2025) Chromosome numbers for the Italian flora: 17. Italian Botanist 20: 183–186. https://doi.org/10.3897/ italianbotanist.20.181006 Abstract This study presents the first chromosome counts for Italy for Cephalaria joppensis (Rchb.) Coult. (Caprifoliaceae), a cryptogenic species occurring in southern Italy. The first chromosome counts for Hieracium acanthodontoides Arv.-Touv. & Belli (Asteraceae), endemic to central and southern Italy, and H. pulchellum Gren. ex Griseb. (Asteraceae), showing a disjunct distribution between western Alps and Abruzzo (central Italy), are also presented. Keywords Asteraceae, Caprifoliaceae, Cephalaria, cytotaxonomy, Hieracium How to contribute Texts concerning new chromosome data should be submitted electronically to Antonio Giacò (antonio[email protected]), including indications on voucher specimens and methods used. Italian Botanist 20: 183–186 (2025) doi: 10.3897/italianbotanist.20.181006 https://italianbotanist.pensoft.net Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC0 Public Domain Dedication. KARYOLOGICAL RECORDS Antonio Giacò et al. / Italian Botanist 20: 183–186 (2025) 184 Chromosome counts Cephalaria joppensis (Rchb.) Coult. (Caprifoliaceae) Chromosome number. 2n = 18 (Fig. 1). Voucher specimen. ITALY. Campania. Felitto (Salerno), Al ponte nuovo, sulla SR 488 (WGS84: 40.377875°N, 15.238914°E), scarpate e margini stradali, 168 m, 27 June 2024, E. Del Guacchio & L. Paino (NAP0007578). Calabria. Rende (Cosenza), loc. Arcavacata (WGS84: 39.365616 N, 16.228283 E), incolto a margine strada, 202 m, 19 July 2024, L. Bernardo (NAP0007057; CLU). Method. Squash preparations were made on root tips obtained from germinating seeds. Root tips were pre-treated with 0.3% colchicine for 3 h and then fixed in a Carnoy solution (3:1 absolute ethanol-glacial acetic acid) for 30 minutes. After hydrolysis in 1N HCl at 60 °C for 7 minutes, the tips were stained with leuco-basic fuchsine for 3 h. Observations. This species shows a scattered distribution in southern Italy and Sicily and is cryptogenic (Del Guacchio 2010; Del Guacchio and La Valva 2018). Our counts are the first for Italian populations and agree with those already known for Turkey (Verlaque 1977, under the name C. joppica (Spreng.) Matthews). L. Paino, L. Bernardo, P. Caputo, E. Del Guacchio Hieracium acanthodontoides Arv.-Touv. & Belli (Asteraceae) Chromosome number. 2n = 36 (Fig. 2). Voucher specimen. ITALY. Abruzzo. L’Aquila, lungo SS80 del Gran Sasso poco dopo la casa cantoniera, scarpate a Pinus nigra su sfatticcio calcareo (milonite), Figure 1. Cephalaria joppensis (Rchb.) Coult. from Felitto (Salerno), 2n = 18. Scale bar: 10 μm. Chromosome numbers for the Italian flora: 17 185 1050 m a.s.l., exposure NW (WSG84: 42.426034°N, 13.345462°E), 13 Jun 2024, S. Orsenigo, G. Baldesi (PAV-H201050). Method. Squash preparations were made on root tips obtained from germinating seeds. Root tips were pretreated with 0.4% colchicine for 3 hours, washed three times in distilled water and then fixed in Carnoy solution (3:1 absolute ethanol-glacial acetic acid) for 50 minutes. After hydrolysis in 1 N HCl at 60 °C for 5 minutes, tips were stained with leuco-basic fuchsine for 3 hours. Observations. This perennial species is endemic to Abruzzo, Lazio, and Puglia (Bartolucci et al. 2024). It is characterized by a unique combination of character-states, notably its serrate-dentate leaves with teeth ending in an acute, nearly aristate apex (Gottschlich 2018), which support its inclusion within H. sect. Acanthodontoidea Gottschl. (Gottschlich 2009). This species grows on limestone rocks in shaded locations, on rocky slopes and more rarely on limestone debris or in pine forests (Gottschlich 2009). The chromosome number of this species is reported here for the first time. G. Ginelli, G. Baldesi, D. Calzoni, S. Orsenigo Hieracium pulchellum Gren. ex Griseb. (Asteraceae) Chromosome number. 2n = 27 (Fig. 3). Voucher specimen. ITALY. Liguria. Triora (Imperia), alla Gola o Falesia di Loreto, su SP81, pareti rocciose calcaree, 700 m a.s.l., exposure W (WSG84: 43.997495°N, 7.734044°E), 3 May 2024, S. Orsenigo, G. Baldesi, M. Ottonello (PAV-H200082). Method. Squash preparations were made on root tips obtained from germinating seeds. Root tips were pretreated with 0.4% colchicine for 3 hours, washed three times in distilled water and then fixed in Carnoy solution (3:1 absolute ethanol-glacial acetic acid) for 50 minutes. After hydrolysis in 1 N HCl at 60 °C for 5 minutes, tips were stained with leuco-basic fuchsine for 3 hours. Figure 2. Hieracium acanthodontoides Arv.-Touv. & Belli from L’Aquila, 2n = 36. Scale bar: 10 μm. Antonio Giacò et al. / Italian Botanist 20: 183–186 (2025) 186 Observations. Hieracium pulchellum is mainly distributed in northern Italy, in the Maritime and Cottian Alps (Valle d’Aosta, Piemonte, Liguria), but disjunct populations occur in Abruzzo, central Italy (Bartolucci et al. 2024). This species includes perennial plants that predominantly grow on calcareous cliffs but can be found also on debris or rocky limestone soil in sparse beech woods and pine forests (Gottschlich 2009). The chromosome number of this species is reported here for the first time. G. Baldesi, G. Ginelli, D. Calzoni, S. Orsenigo References Bartolucci F, Peruzzi L, Galasso G, Alessandrini A, Ardenghi NMG, Bacchetta G, Banfi E, Barberis G, Bernardo L, Bouvet D, Bovio M, Calvia G, Castello M, Cecchi L, Del Guacchio E, Domina G, Fascetti S, Gallo L, Gottschlich G, Guarino R, Gubellini L, Hofmann N, Iberite M, Jiménez-Mejías P, Longo D, Marchetti D, Martini F, Masin RR, Medagli P, Peccenini S, Prosser F, Roma-Marzio F, Rosati L, Santangelo A, Scoppola A, Selvaggi A, Selvi F, Soldano A, Stinca A, Wagensommer RP, Wilhalm T, Conti F (2024) A second update to the checklist of the vascular flora native to Italy. Plant Biosystems 158: 219–296. https:// doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2024.2320126 Del Guacchio E (2010) Appunti di floristica campana: novità e precisazioni. Informatore Botanico Italiano 42(1): 35–46. Del Guacchio E, La Valva V (2018) The non-native vascular flora of Campania (southern Italy). Plant Biosystems 152(4): 767–779. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2017.1338626 Gottschlich G (2009) Die Gattung Hieracium L. (Compositae) in der Region Abruzzen (Italien) (Vol. 89). Land Oberösterreich, Oberösterreichische Landesmuseen. Gottschlich G (2018) Hieracium. In: Pignatti S, Guarino R, La Rosa M (Eds) Flora d’Italia, 2nd ed., vol. 3. New Business Media: Milano, 1138–1195. Verlaque R (1977) IOPB chromosome number reports LVI. Taxon 26(2–3): 257–274. https:// doi.org/10.1002/j.1996-8175.1977.tb04167.x Figure 3. Hieracium pulchellum Gren. ex Griseb. from Triora (Imperia), 2n = 27. Scale bar: 10 μm.