First record of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae) for Italian flora: taxonomical and ecological investigation
Salvatore Cambria
; University of Catania, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, via A. Longo 19, I-95125 Catania, Italy
Alessandro Crisafulli
; University of Messina, Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, Via Stagno d’Alcontres, 98100 Messina, Italy
Gianpietro Giusso del Galdo
; University of Catania, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, via A. Longo 19, I-95125 Catania, Italy
Rosa M. Picone
; University of Messina, Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, Via Stagno d’Alcontres, 98100 Messina, Italy
Adriano Soldano
; Largo Brigata Cagliari, 6, 13100 Vercelli, Italy
Saverio Sciandrello
; University of Catania, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, via A. Longo 19, I-95125 Catania, Italy
Gianmarco Tavilla
; University of Catania, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, via A. Longo 19, I-95125 Catania, Italy
Cambria, S., Crisafulli, A., del Galdo, G.G., Picone, R.M., Soldano, A., Sciandrello, S. i Tavilla, G. (2022). First record of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae) for Italian flora: taxonomical and ecological investigation. Acta Botanica Croatica, 81 (2), 159-167. https://doi.org/10.37427/botcro-2022-013
MLA 8th Edition
Cambria, Salvatore, et al. "First record of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae) for Italian flora: taxonomical and ecological investigation." Acta Botanica Croatica, vol. 81, br. 2, 2022, str. 159-167. https://doi.org/10.37427/botcro-2022-013. Citirano 09.05.2026.
Chicago 17th Edition
Cambria, Salvatore, Alessandro Crisafulli, Gianpietro Giusso del Galdo, Rosa M. Picone, Adriano Soldano, Saverio Sciandrello i Gianmarco Tavilla. "First record of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae) for Italian flora: taxonomical and ecological investigation." Acta Botanica Croatica 81, br. 2 (2022): 159-167. https://doi.org/10.37427/botcro-2022-013
Harvard
Cambria, S., et al. (2022). 'First record of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae) for Italian flora: taxonomical and ecological investigation', Acta Botanica Croatica, 81(2), str. 159-167. https://doi.org/10.37427/botcro-2022-013
Vancouver
Cambria S, Crisafulli A, del Galdo GG, Picone RM, Soldano A, Sciandrello S i sur. First record of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae) for Italian flora: taxonomical and ecological investigation. Acta Botanica Croatica [Internet]. 2022 [pristupljeno 09.05.2026.];81(2):159-167. https://doi.org/10.37427/botcro-2022-013
IEEE
S. Cambria, et al., "First record of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae) for Italian flora: taxonomical and ecological investigation", Acta Botanica Croatica, vol.81, br. 2, str. 159-167, 2022. [Online]. https://doi.org/10.37427/botcro-2022-013
Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae) has been reported for the first time in Italy. This species with a Paleotropical geographical origin is a new invasive alien species in the flora of Italy. It was already reported in several European countries as invasive species, but this plant is also known for its medicinal properties in many areas of the world. The species was found in anthropic environments of Sicily. In particular, the study area is localized in the Peloritani Mounts (NE Sicily) where the species was discovered in five stands. Our new discovery confirmed the role that anthropic activities have had in the spread of invasive alien species in Italy. Diagnostic features, ecological and geographic data are provided. From a phytosociological viewpoint, this plant characterizes a plant community that includes various nitrophilous species such as Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop., Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. and Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. In addition, the invasiveness of and impacts associated with this species were assessed with the use of the EPPO prioritization protocol. The specimens were deposited in the herbaria of Catania and Messina University.
Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae) has been reported for the first time in Italy. This species with a Paleotropical geographical origin is a new invasive alien species in the flora of Italy. It was already reported in several European countries as invasive species, but this plant is also known for its medicinal properties in many areas of the world. The species was found in anthropic environments of Sicily. In particular, the study area is localized in the Peloritani Mounts (NE Sicily) where the species was discovered in five stands. Our new discovery confirmed the role that anthropic activities have had in the spread of invasive alien species in Italy. Diagnostic features, ecological and geographic data are provided. From a phytosociological viewpoint, this plant characterizes a plant community that includes various nitrophilous species such as Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop., Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. and Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. In addition, the invasiveness of and impacts associated with this species were assessed with the use of the EPPO prioritization protocol. The specimens were deposited in the herbaria of Catania and Messina University.
Introduction
Urbanization and climate change encourage the invasion and spread of exotic plant
species (Salinitro et al. 2019). In particular, several alien species have recently
been reported in Italy (Sciandrello et al. 2016, Galasso et al. 2018, Musarella
2020). Many of them belong to the Malvaceae Juss. s.l, in fact, ca. 43% of the taxa
within this family reported in Italy are non-native (Portal to the Flora of Italy
2022).
The family Malvaceae includes ca. 250 genera and 4200 species distributed mainly in
the tropical regions of the world (Simpson 2019). Phylogenetic studies of this
family show its division into nine subfamilies (Chase et al. 2016). Following this
classification, the genus Sida L. falls within the tribe Malveae J.
Presl belonging to the Malvoideae Burnett subfamily. The genus Sida
L. was validly described by Linnaeus (1753), and it is one of the most
diversified genera of the Malvaceae. This genus includes ca. 250 taxa, and its
native array ranges from the Tropics to N America (POWO 2021), and from a
taxonomical point of view, it is very complex due to its great changeability.
Moreover, these species also usually grow in areas with a high degree of human
intrusion. The genus Sida is distinguished from other related
genera by two morphological features: calyx often 10-ribbed, and schizocarp fruits
with 5-14 one-seed mericarps, muticous to prominently aristate (Fryxell 1997).
Duringfield surveys in the northeast region of Sicily, we discovered several
individuals of an unknown Sida representative mainly associated
with urban areas. The plant was identified as Sida rhombifolia L.
through literature and herbarium research. This species, widely distributed in the
tropical, sub-tropical and warm temperate regions of the world (Holm et al. 1997),
has not previously been reported for the Italian flora. Its real native range is
unknown, but it is probably attributable to the Paleotropics (Verdcourt 2004). It is
mainly known for its medicinal uses in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide
(Ajeet et al. 2018), where it shows a potential for invasiveness (Randall 2001).
Generally, S. rhombifolia is a common weed in
synanthropic stands from sea level to 2,000 m a.s.l., particularly along roadsides
and urban areas, as well as in gardens, pastures, abandoned farmland and cultivated
fields (Smith 1981). Sometimes, it also colonizes scrubs, open slopes, stream sides,
seasonally flooded surfaces and degraded forest areas, while it does not grow in
closed forests or tall scrublands (Vattakaven et al. 2016). It constitutes a serious
nuisance for agricultural lands, pastures, and native grasslands (Reddy 2011).
Until today, the only known species belonging to this genus in Italy was
Sidaspinosa L., which is reported as a casual alien species
(Galasso et al. 2018). In addition, S. rhombifolia is a
taxonomically controversial species, which belongs to Sida section
Sida. Different authors attributed many binomials and now some
of them are considered as autonomous taxa within the S. rhombifolia
complex. This new alien species to Italy was already reported in other
countries of Europe and the Mediterranean area. It is reported as casual and
ephemeral species in the Czech Republic (Pyšek et al. 2012), France (Tison and de
Foucault 2014), Great Britain (Clement and Foster 1994), Netherlands and Belgium
(Verloove and Vandenberghe 1995), while it is indicated as naturalized in Croatia
(Milović et al. 2010), Portugal (Webb 1968) and Spain (Pavia and Nogueira 2006). It
is categorized as “not established” in Lithuania, Sweden, and Norway, while its
status is unknown in Ukraine and Denmark (Valdés 2011, NOBANIS 2021). Besides, in
the Mediterranean area S. rhombifolia is reported as native to
Egypt (Boulos 2000).
The aim of this paper is to analyze the morphological, ecological and chorological
features of the Sicilian populationof S.rhombifolia (the only
population currently known in Italy). Additonally, the invasive behavior in and
potential impacts on Italy have been assessed.
Material and methods
This investigation was conducted between August 2014 and April 2021 in the Peloritani
Mounts, (Northeastern Sicily) based on literature data and morphological analysis of
living material collected during fieldwork. Careful surveys of the Italian
literature were carried out to find existing records of the species in Italy
(Pignatti et al. 2017-2019, Galasso et al. 2018). The specimens have been kept in
the herbaria of the University of Catania and Messina (CAT and MS; herbarium
acronyms follow Thiers 2020). Taxonomic identification was performed according to
Pavia and Nogueira (2006), Tambde et al. (2016) and Pignatti et al. (2017-2019),
while the nomenclature was compiled following Bartolucci et al. (2018), Galasso et
al. (2018) and subsequent updates reported in the Portal to the Flora of Italy
(2022). In addition, many herbarium sheets of S.spinosa and
S.rhombifolia were carefullyexamined for the correct
identification of the species. Morphological measurements were carried out on 10
specimens for each area using Zeiss Stemi 500 stereoscope with Zen 2.5 lite
software. The stands where the species was discovered were reported in a
distribution map, developed using QGIS tools (QGIS.org 2021). The vegetation in
which this species was found was studied following the Braun-Blanquet approach
(Braun-Blanquet 1964) and the nomenclature of syntaxa follows Mucina et al. (2016).
Moreover, possible impacts and invasive behavior were analyzed using the EPPO
prioritization method scheme for invasive alien species (Branquart et al. 2016).
This prioritization process, broadly, aims to compile a list of invasive alien
plants that have grown in the assessment region, and to identify which of these
should be prioritized for a Pest Risk Analysis (PRA, see EPPO 2019).
Fig. 1 Drawing of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae) from
living Sicilian specimens (by S. Casella): A ‒ flowering stem, B ‒
leaf abaxial surface, C ‒ leaf adaxial surface, D ‒ close-up of
stellate hairs, E ‒ stipules, F ‒ flower, G1 ‒ schizocarp, G2 ‒
mericarps.
Species description from Sicilian material
Perennial herb or semi-woody shrub up to 1–1.5 m tall. Stems erect, terete, green or
purplish, many-branched, with sparse stellate hairs when younger and almost
glabrous when older. Leaves alternate, slightly dimorphic, rhomboid to
elliptic and with stellate hairs on both surfaces of the young branches
without flowers, narrower and with stellate hairs only on the abaxial face
on the flowering stems. Blade elliptic to rhomboid, 1.5–5.5 × 1–3 cm,
serrate and crenate towards the top and entire towards the base, apex
obtuse. Leaves with petiole 0.2–0.5 cm long, couple of stipules, 3–5 mm
long, not different, linear to filiform. Calyx campanulate, pubescent, with
triangular sepals, 0.4–0.7 × 0.2–0.4 cm. Flowers solitary or gathered in
small groups, axillary, on slender pedicel, 2 to 3 cm long, jointed above
the middle. Corolla with 5 petals partially fused together, slightly longer
than calyx, pale yellow, 0.5–1 × 0.5–0.7 cm. Schizocarp, flattened or almost
globular, from greenish (immature) to brownish (mature), 0.4–0.5 cm long,
with peduncle 1.4–2.8 cm long; mericarps 8–10, dark brown to black,
wedge-shaped, 0.3–0.4 cm long, with two vertical ribs and a pair of retrorse
awns on the top, 0.5–1 mm long (Figs. 2,3).
Fig. 2 Morphological features of leaves of Sida rhombifolia
L. (Malvaceae): A ‒ leaf adaxial surface, B ‒ leaf
abaxial surface, C ‒ detail of the leaf edge, D ‒ stellate
hairs, E, F ‒ stipules.
Fig. 3 Fruit of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae): A ‒
frontal view of schizocarp B ‒ lateral view of schizocarp, C ‒
detaching mericarps, D ‒ frontal view of mericarp.
Taxonomic remarks concerning S. rhombifolia
According to several authors (Fryxell 1988, Tambde et al. 2016),
S.rhombifolia represents a species complex with a great
morphological variation, including many taxa treated at a specific,
subspecific or varietal level. Indeed, the taxonomy of this complex species
is quite disputed (Aguilar et al. 2003), and the proposed classification is
often very different according to the various geographical areas, lacking an
overall treatment of the entire group in all its range. The specimens
collected in the northeast of Sicily can be referred toS.rhombifolia
L., showing leaves with an indumentum of minute sessile stellate
hairs, and serrate margins at the apex, as well as dehiscent mericarps
provided with 2 prominent apical awns. Finally, it should be pointed out
that the only other species of the Sidagenus present in
Italy is S.spinosa, first reported for western Sicily by
Romano (2004). These two species are easily distinguished for several
features, and based on our measurements and bibliographic data, the
following analytical key is provided:
1a. Plant 2–6 (–10) dm tall, stems with 1 or 2 spines at the base of
petioles, leaf blades narrow-ovate to oblong or elliptic, 5–7 mericarps with
2 awns 1–1.5 mm
long.......................................................................
Sida spinosa
1b. Plant 10–15 dm tall, stems without spines at the base of petioles, leaf
blade elliptic to rhomboid, 8–14 mericarps with 2 awns 0.5–1 mm long
............................................................................................
Sida rhombifolia
Distribution and ecology of S. rhombifolia in Italy
Sidarhombifolia wasfound in five localities of the
Peloritani Mounts (Northeastern Sicily), along the coastal belt between
Furnari and Rometta, near Messina (Fig. 4). It mainly colonizes disturbed
sites not far from the sea, at an altitude of 0-140 m a.s.l., such as
roadsides, abandoned quarries and uncultivated areas, which are
characterized by high levels of nitrates and a certain amount of moisture.
From a phytosociological point of view, this species plays a dominant role
in the community characterized by several nitrophilous annual species with a
summer-autumn cycle, such as Digitaria sanguinalis (L.)
Scop., Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn., Euphorbia
prostrata Aiton, Setaria verticillata (L.)
P.Beauv., Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter,
Foeniculumvulgare Mill. Subsp.
Vulgare, Rubus ulmifolius Schott,
Geranium
molleL.,MalvasylvestrisL.,Oxalispes-capraeL.,Portulacaoleracea
L., Sixalix atropurpurea (L.) Greuter &
Burdet, Sonchus tenerrimus L., Sorghum halepense
(L.) Pers., Symphyotrichum squamatum
(Spreng.) G.L.Nesom, Verbena officinalis L.,
Vicia villosa Roth, Xanthium strumarium
L. (Tab. 1).
Tab. 1 Phytosociological relevés of plant community with S.
rhombifolia carried out in Messina province (NE Sicily, Italy).
Place and date of relevés: Rels. 1-4: Rometta, 13. 11. 2020,
Rels. 5-6: Valdina, 15 .4. 2021, Rels. 7-8: Furnari, 16. 4.
2021, Rel. 9: Terme Vigliatore, 16. 4. 2021, Rels. 10-12:
Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, 16. 4. 2021.
Relevé
number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Altitude (m
a.s.l.)
10
10
10
10
18
18
17
17
65
14
14
14
Plot size
(m2)
40
40
40
40
50
50
50
50
50
50
50
40
Vegetation cover
(%)
80
80
90
90
80
80
90
90
80
90
80
90
Sida
rhombifolia L.
3
2
2
2
3
2
2
1
2
3
4
3
Digitario sanguinalis‐Eragrostietea
minoris
Achyranthes sicula(L.) All.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
+
+
+
Amaranthus retroflexus L.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
+
+
+
Bidens
pilosa L.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
3
2
+
1
Boerhavia coccinea Mill.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1
1
Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.
2
+
+
.
.
1
+
+
.
+
+
.
Eleusine
indica (L.) Gaertn.
.
+
+
1
.
.
+
.
.
.
.
.
Erigeron
bonariensis L.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1
+
.
.
+
+
Euphorbia prostrata Aiton
.
.
.
+
+
+
.
.
+
.
.
.
Setaria
verticillata (L.) P. Beauv.
.
.
.
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sorghum
halepense (L.) Pers.
+
+
.
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Symphyotrichum squamatum (Spreng.)
G.L. Nesom
1
.
.
.
1
1
2
2
.
.
.
.
Rhamno-Prunetea
Rubus
ulmifolius Schott
+
3
.
.
1
2
.
+
+
.
.
+
Other
species
Arundo
plinii Turra
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1
.
.
.
.
Bituminaria bituminosa (L.) C.H.
Stirt.
.
.
.
.
.
.
+
+
.
+
.
.
Convolvulus sepium L.
.
.
1
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
+
Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter
subsp. viscosa
.
+
.
.
1
2
+
+
.
.
.
.
Equisetum arvense L.
.
.
.
+
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Foeniculum vulgare Mill. subsp.
vulgare
.
+
.
.
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Galactites tomentosus Moench
.
.
.
.
.
.
+
.
.
.
.
+
Geranium
molle L.
1
.
.
.
+
.
.
.
.
+
.
.
Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf
subsp. hirta
.
.
.
.
.
.
1
+
.
.
+
+
Lathyrus
annuus L.
.
.
.
.
.
.
+
.
.
+
.
.
Malva
sylvestris L.
.
.
.
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Melilotus sp.
+
.
+
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Oxalis
pes-caprae L.
.
.
3
3
.
.
+
+
+
.
.
.
Portulaca oleracea L.
.
+
.
.
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Reichardia picroides (L.)
Roth
.
1
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Rhus
coriaria L.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
+
.
.
.
Ricinus
communis L.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
+
Rumex
pulcher L.
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
+
+
Sixalix
atropurpurea (L.) Greuter & Burdet
+
.
.
.
+
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sonchus
tenerrimus L.
.
+
.
.
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Verbena
officinalis L.
.
.
+
+
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Vicia
sativa L.
.
.
.
.
.
.
+
+
.
.
.
.
Vicia
villosa Roth
.
+
.
.
+
+
+
.
+
+
.
.
Xanthium
strumarium L.
.
.
.
+
.
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
Therefore, these aspects should be referred to the
Amarantho-Digitarietum sanguinalis Pignatti 1953
(Digitario sanguinalis‐Eragrostietea minoris
Mucina, Lososová & Šilc 2016), anthropogenic vegetation
described by Pignatti (1953) for the Venetian plain and recently reported by
Viciani et al. (2020) in the checklist of the alien-dominated communities in
Italy. Besides, S. rhombifolia sometimes forms dense
monodominant vegetation or mixed communities with R.
ulmifolius, unlike other parts of continental Europe where it
is very ephemeral and mature individuals are seldom seen (Verloove and
Vandenberghe 1995, Milović et al. 2010). In Sicily, it is locally well
established and exhibits high coverage with a growing number of individuals,
according to our observations in the period 2014-2020 (Fig. 5). The stands
of S.rhombifolia distributed in the northeast of Sicily are
represented by several individuals (ca. 50–100 for each stand), and due to
the awned seeds, the species mainly spreads by adhering to clothing and
animals (Smith 2002). The introduction of S. rhombifolia in
Sicily was almost certainly accidental, probably due to seeds carried on
vehicles in an area of trade such as the Messina Strait or it could have
come from the nursery activity specialized in the trade of exotic species,
since the first finding was made in an area with a high human presence.
According to Pyšek et al. (2004), the invasion status of the species can be
considered in Italy as naturalized. Besides, the EPPO protocol (Branquart et
al. 2016) was performed on S.rhombifolia. The result of the
assessment (evaluation of spread, impacts, and uncertainty degree) is shown
inTab. 2.
Fig. 4 Distribution map of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae)
in Peloritani in Sicily, Italy.
Fig. 5 Habit (A, B) of Sida rhombifolia L. (Malvaceae)
(Sicily) with morphological details of the leaves (C), flower (D),
and schizocarps (E).
Tab. 2 Conclusions from the prioritization (stage 1: risk assessment):
Sida rhombifolia L. was categorized in the European List of Minor
Concern (ELMC). Abbreviations: Aus ‒ Australia, Am ‒ America, Pal ‒
Paleotropical. Country abbreviations correspond to ISO codes. Under
questions A8 and A9, uncertainty is represented by (L) low, (M)
medium or (H) high.
Species
Sida rhombifolia
L.
A.1. Clear taxonomy
Yes
A.2. Alien in the EU
Yes (Pal)
A.3. Quality of
information sufficient
Low
A.4. Established in the EU
Yes (BE, CZ, ES, FR, GB, HR, NL,
PT)
A.5. Invasive outside the EU
Yes (Aus, Am)
A.6. Potential establishment in the
EU
Yes (DK, IT, LT, NO, SE, UA)
A.7. Spread
Medium
A.8. Impact on native plant
species
Low (L): forms dense stands, not
spread rapidly to the surrounding area
A.9. Impact on ecosystem functions
and services
Low (L): until now, it spread only
in urban areas
Conclusion of stage 1
ELMC
Discussion
This new record of S. rhombifolia for Italy seems to not show a high
invasive potential of the species, despite its increasing spread in the
Mediterranean Europe territories in recent years. This species in Sicily has not yet
colonized habitats with a significant ecological value. However, in the future,
based on its ecological requirements and ongoing climate changes occurring in Italy,
it might invade natural environments of this area, such as grasslands (Habitat code
6220), and the wide pebbly bottoms of seasonal waterways locally
knownas“fiumare”(Habitatcode 3290). Sidarhombifolia together with
other invasive species reported from the Northeastern part of Sicily, such as
Euphorbia hypericifolia L., Ailanthusaltissima
(Mill.) Swingle., Lantanacamara L.,
Boerhavia coccinea Mill., Digitaria ciliaris
(Retz.) Koeler, Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.
(Sciandrello et al. 2016, Galasso et al. 2020), could represent a serious threat for
many natural habitats in this area, hosting narrow endemic species (Sciandrello et
al. 2019, Brullo et al. 2021).
Furthermore, the occurrence of numerous other sites with similar ecological
characteristics makes expansion foreseeable in the coming years, not only in the
Messina area, but also in other parts of Sicily, considering the high invasive
potential of this species observed in numerous geographical areas (Rejmánek 2016,
Kuswantoro et al. 2020). As highlighted by Steel et al. (2008), based on
mathematical models, global warming could lead to a significant invasive potential
of the species, even in non-tropical areas and in those with a Mediterranean
climate.
In conclusion, it would be desirable to monitor the species in the Sicilian
territory, in order to supervise the expected spread in the above mentioned habitats
so as to limit alteration of the floristic and structural composition of these
environments.
Specimina visa:
Sidarhombifolia L.–Portugal: Azores, 1846,
T. Hunt s.n. (BR0000013473679); India: Tamil Nadu Peninsula
Indiae Orientalis Madras, 1867, Wight 166 (K000659356); Cameroon:
Koum, 25 August 1974, MM Bosch Geerling & L.V.P.
Lavieren 5169 (YA0053739); Usa: Sumter County, S Side
of Cane Savannah, 5 air mi SE of downtown Wedgefield, 23 August 2019, J.B.
Nelson &D.P. Ferral s.n. (USCH0053519);
FairfieldCounty, 2.8 road miles N of downtown, Ridgeway, 6 September 2019,
J.B. Nelson s.n. (USCH0058773); Italy: Sicily: Barcellona Pozzo
di Gotto, lungo il margine dei Caselli autostradali, 12 m, 22 August 2014,
A. Crisafulli & A. Soldano s.n. (MS);
Rometta, 5 m, 21 February 2016, A. Crisafulli s.n. (MS); ibid., 20
December 2020, S. Cambria&G.Tavilla s.n. (CAT); Valdina nel lago grande, 16 m,3 January 2017,
A. Crisafulli s.n. (MS); ibid., 16 m, 13 November 2020,
S. Cambria s.n. (CAT).
Sida spinosa L.–Italy: Sicily: Misilmeri, contrada
Incorbina (Palermo), September 2001, S.Romano s.n. (PAL); Brazil:
Monte Corcorado, January 1818, without collector (W00693489; Sergipe, Capela, RVS
Mata do Junco, Mata Atlantica, May 2012, L.A.Gomes et al. s.n.
(NY); São Sebastião da Vitória, 10 May 2014, M.T.R. Costa s.n.
(RB00947655); Colombia: Tocaima, November 1932, E. Pérez Arbeláez
2447 (COL000141171); Usa: North Carolina, Poplar Branch Township, 21
September 2018, T. Holdsclaw s.n. (NCU659548).
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Salvatore Casella for having realized the drawing included
in the text. We would also like to thank Giulia Giangravè, English native speaker,
for the linguistic improvements to the manuscript.
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