Taxonomical and chorological remarks on the Mediterranean Poa maroccana (Poaceae) and the first record in Italy from the Sicilian flora

Abstract

Poa maroccana is an annual Mediterranean species, which is recorded for the first time from Sicily and for the whole Italian territory. It usually occurs in synanthopic habitats, represented mainly by urban and suburban roadsides, where it is quite sporadic. Based on current knowledge, it has been hitherto reported only in a few localities of the Mediterranean area, particularly in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Syria and Crimea. Field observations and herbarium investigations have shown that this species is often mistaken for P. annua, mainly due to its morphological similarities, as well as for the same ecological needs, therefore its real geographical distribution has yet to be verified. Although the two species are both tetraploids (2n = 28), they clearly differ for numerous relevant features concerning the shape and size of ligules, inflorescence, spikelet, glumes, palea, lemma, anthers, lodicules and seed. In order to better clarify the relationships of P. maroccana with P. annua and the other annual species of this genus occurring in the Mediterranean, its carefull a morphological description and iconography is provided, as well as a comparative morphological table of all allied species and also their analytical key for easy identification.