Tertiary relict laurophyll vegetation in the Madonie mountains (Sicily)

Laurel woodlands in the Madonie mountains (Sicily) are characterized by the presence of Laurus nobilis, Rhamnus lojaconoi and Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris. The results of a phytosociological study are presented, and a new endemic association, Rhamno lojaconoi–Lauretum nobilis, is described. Present Mediterranean laurel communities are the result of an adaptive response by Tertiary laurel forest to the peculiar microclimatic conditions that characterize the refugia where they persist. These refugia have been recently considered as a priority habitat under the Directive 92/43/EEC, and their plant communities are very vulnerable. Protection measures of the studied laurel populations are necessary, with particular reference to the bulking up of R. lojaconoi through in situ and ex situ propagation. A multivariate analysis of 63 relevés from all the Sicilian laurel communities described so far and additional 65 relevés from all over southern Europe and the Mediterranean basin bears out the autonomy of the new association, showing at the same time some oristic afnities between Sicilian, southern Italian, Spanish and Iberian associations. Their syntaxonomic treatment is discussed.