Galium litorale

This species was first described in 1827 by Giovanni Gussone in the first part of his Florae Siculae Prodromus. ==Description==

Galium litorale is a perennial herb, from 20 to 60 cm in height. G. litorale characteristically has a stoloniferous habitus. It is considered a hemicryptophyte or chamaephyte (a subshrub). The upper stems are pubescent, with short internodes. The leaves are narrowly oblanceolate in shape, 2-5 x 10–18 mm, abruptly pointed and somewhat rough in texture at their edges. The inflorescence is erect and consists of a large, elongated panicle of many small white flowers. It has short, lateral branches. The peduncles are 1.5–3 mm, divaricating after each flower. The flowers have a white, pubescent corolla with a diameter of 3–4 mm and with apiculate lobes. The fruit has a diameter of 2–3 mm, and is dark or blackish coloured when ripe. It appears to be most closely related to Galium species from North Africa, in particular G. poirelianum. ==Distribution==

It is endemic to western Sicily, a large island belonging to Italy. Here it can be found between Marsala and Mazara del Vallo, The total area of occupancy consisted of some 500 km2 of habitat. ==Ecology==

It grows in the habitat coded as '5330' in the system used by the European Commission, which stands for "thermo-Mediterranean and pre-desert scrub". The preferred habitats have also been described as macchia, garrigue and grasslands. It grows in beach sands. It grows from sea level to 100 metres. It appears to have a special relationship with the small and spiny palm species Chamaerops humilis, very often growing in the shelter of the spines, in an area of coastal garrigue where the palm is particularly common. It blooms from June or July to September. ==Conservation==

In 1992 Galium litorale was designated as a 'priority species' under Annex II of the Habitats Directive of the European Community (which was reformed as the European Union the following year). This designation was meant to serve as the basis for Italy to declare which areas in which it occurs are 'Special Areas of Conservation' -which were to form the backbone of the Natura 2000 network, but only if these areas include one of the number of habitats listed in Annex I of the directive (such as seashores). The total number of plants was estimated by the Commission of the European Communities in 2009 to be at less than a thousand individuals according to the IUCN. The species was listed as 'near threatened' by the IUCN in 2011. ==References==