The chemical composition of the volatile metabolites of Crithmum maritimum harvested from several geographic localities along the Mediterranean coasts was studied by GC and GC-MSD. The major oil constituents were found to be dillapiole, gamma-terpinene, sabinene, limonene and beta-phellandrene. The Western populations were richer in dillapiole, whereas the Southern collections were characterize...

Abstract The European Alps show a high degree of endemism associated mainly with the location glacial refugia and environmental heterogeneity. Several Alpine endemics have evolved in genus Alyssum. Here we study perennial Alyssum populations Western Alps, distributed Aosta Valley region, which hosts species diversity, although are rare. We addressed recently described stenoendemic A. rossetii t...

Metal hyperaccumulator plants like Alyssum murale have a remarkable ability to hyperaccumulate Ni from soils containing mostly insoluble Ni. We have shown some rhizobacteria increase the phytoavailability of Ni in soils, thus enhancing Ni accumulation by A. murale. Nine bacterial strains, originally isolated from the rhizosphere of A. murale grown in serpentine Ni-rich soil, were examined for t...

Karyological investigations were carried out on four species of Bellevalia Lapeyrouse, 1808 and Muscari Miller, 1758 (Asparagaceae) sampled in contrasting bioclimatic conditions of Algeria. The endemic Bellevalia mauritanica Pomel, 1874 was found to have a tetraploid cytotype 2n = 4x = 16 and an octoploid 2n = 8x = 32 which is a new report. The chromosome number 2n = 2x = 18 in Muscari comosum ...