On Pancratium maritimum (sea daffodil, sea lily, sand lily)

Pancratium maritimum L. (Amaryllidaceae) is a lily-like plant with daffodil-like leaves. P. maritimum is a bulbous perennial geophyte that is widely distributed, along the coastline of the Mediterranean region, from the Black Sea to part of the Atlantic coast.1–4 Coastal habitats are particularly vulnerable, because they change in response to both biotic and abiotic factors and their biodiversity is affected by the effects of sea-level rise and human-induced impacts.5 Therefore, populations of P. maritimum decrease due to urbanization, tourism development, tourist trampling, alteration, destruction of dune systems and overcollection;6 in fact, excess of flowers sampling is seriously threatening the diversity of this species, resulting in a significant decrease of populations of P. maritimum. Actually, the flowering season of P. maritimum, and therefore the pleasure in seeing its beautiful flowers, begins in June and ends in September, coinciding with the period of excessive tourism in the Mediterranean, and at a time when simultaneously flowering plant taxa are scarce. Also, P. maritimum is receiving much attention from the international scientific community due to its value as a commercial ornamental plant.7–9