Texts concerning new chromosome data should be submitted electronically to Antonio Giacò (antonio.giaco@biologia.unipi.it), including indications on voucher specimens and methods used.

Crepis suffreniana (DC.) Steud. (Asteraceae)

Chromosome number. 2n = 8 (Fig. 1)

Voucher specimen. ITALY. Toscana. Tenuta di San Rossore (Pisa) in loc. Sterpaia (WGS84: 43.73820°N, 10.33496°E), 30 April 2025, G. Antonelli & J. Franzoni (PI069509).

Method. Squash preparations were made on root tips obtained from germinating seeds. Root tips were pre-treated with 0.4% colchicine for 3 h and then fixed in Carnoy solution for 1 h. After hydrolysis in 1 N HCl at 60 °C for 8 minutes, the tips were stained with leuco-basic fuchsine.

Observations. Crepis suffreniana (DC.) Steud. is an annual species growing on sandy soils in France and Italy (Babcock 1947), whose distribution range is fragmented in three main areas: the maritime regions of south-western France, south-eastern France, and Tuscany (central Italy), here only within the Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli Regional Park (Peruzzi et al. 2025). Eight out of ten species belonging to C. sect. Phytodesia Babc., including C. suffreniana, are characterized by 2n = 8 chromosomes, whereas C. capillaris (L.) Wallr. and C. fuliginosa Sm. exhibit 2n = 6 (Babcock 1947). Nevertheless, in his revision of the genus Crepis, Babcock (1947) did not specify whether the chromosome count for C. suffreniana was obtained from French or Italian material. Here we report the first documented chromosome count for the Italian population of C. suffreniana, which agrees with Babcock (1947).

J. Franzoni, D. Cruz-Tejada, A. Carta, L. Peruzzi

Dianthus furcatus Balb. subsp. furcatus (Caryophyllaceae)

Chromosome number. 2n = 90 (Fig. 2)

Voucher specimen. ITALY. Liguria. Monte Frontè, Triora (Imperia), sul versante meridionale del monte, lungo la Strada Provinciale 2 (WGS84: 44.048760°N, 7.760786°E), praterie con rocce affioranti, 1668 m s.l.m., 14 July 2025, J. Franzoni & L. Peruzzi (PI070233).

Method. Squash preparations were made on root tips obtained from germinating seeds. Root tips were pre-treated with 0.4% colchicine for 3 h and then fixed in Carnoy solution for 1 h. After hydrolysis in 1 N HCl at 60 °C for 8.5 minutes, the tips were stained with leuco-basic fuchsine.

Observations. Dianthus furcatus Balb. is a Mediterranean orophyte growing in western Alps, across France and Italy (Tison and de Foucault 2014; Bartolucci et al. 2024). The Italian populations are organized in three subspecies (Pignatti 2017): D. furcatus subsp. furcatus growing throughout the western Alps; D. furcatus subsp. dissimilis (Burnat) Pignatti described and recorded so far only for Vallone degli Alberghi (Piemonte) in the Maritime Alps; and D. furcatus subsp. lereschii (Burnat) Pignatti, occurring in the Graian Alps. Some authors also consider D. gyspergerae Rouy, endemic to Corsica, as a subspecies of D. furcatus (Marhold 2011; Pignatti 2017). According to literature, D. furcatus is reported as tetraploid with 2n = 4x = 60 chromosomes (Darlington and Wylie 1956; Carolin 1957), whereas D. furcatus subsp. gyspergerae (Rouy) Briq. is reported as diploid (Contandriopoulos 1964). Our chromosome count does not agree with previously published reports (referring generically to “Italy, Alps”, see Darlington and Wylie 1956), as the investigated population is showing consistently 2n = 90 chromosomes, representing a hexaploid level in this genus.

J. Franzoni, A. Giacò, L. Peruzzi