Euphorbia papillaris (Boiss.) Raffaelli & Ricceri

Euphorbia papillaris (Boiss.) Raffaelli & Ricceri View in CoL in Webbia 42: 7 (1988)

≡ E. bivonae var. papillaris Boiss. in DC., Prodr. 15(2): 131 (1862), basion.

Type (lectotype designated by Raffaelli & Ricceri 1988: 8):— ITALY. Insula Favignana, prope Sicilia, 1829, Jan 53 (G-DC G00312037) (isotypes: K000911865, K000911865).

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting plants were observed in Tunisia from late April; in Sicily, from November to April.

Distribution:— Euphorbia papillaris was previously considered endemic to northwestern Sicily (i.e. Zingaro and Mount Erice) and the Egadi Islands (see Bajona & Spadaro 2022). After recent field investigations and herbarium studies, we can state this species also occurs in Tunisia (Cap Bon) and Libya (Tripolitania and Cyrenaica) ( Figure 1 View FIGURE 1 ).

Habitat and ecology in Tunisia:— Euphorbia papillaris in Tunisia is restricted to the eastern coastal of Haouaria (Nabeul governorate,Cap-Bon of Tunisia).It usually grows on limestone slopes,from 30to180 m elevation, accompanied by several thermophilous species of the maquis shrubland and the Mediterranean scrub ( Figure 4 View FIGURE 4 ), such as Ambrosina bassii L., Daphne gnidium subsp. mauritanica (Nieto Fel.) Halda , Festuca coerulescens Desf. , Genista aspalathoides Lam. , Phillyrea latifolia L., Pistacia lentiscus L., Biscutella didyma L. s.l., Cytisus infestus subsp. intermedius (Salzm. ex C.Presl) Cristof. & Troìa , Daucus carota subsp. fontanesii Thell. , Erica arborea L., Erodium botrys (Cav.) Bertol. , Filago gallica L., Galium verrucosum Huds. , Helichrysum stoechas subsp. barrelieri (Ten.) Nyman, Hyoseris radiata L., Hypericum humifusum L., Leontodon tuberosus L., Ononis hispanica subsp. ramosissima (Desf.) Förther & Podl. , Paronychia echinulata Chater , Quercus coccifera L., Q. ilex subsp. ballota (Desf.) Samp. , Ranunculus paludosus Poir. , Rubus ulmifolius Schott , Ruscus hypophyllum L., Schoenus nigricans L., Sedum tuberosum Coss. & Letourn. (Algerian-Tunisian endemic), Simethis mattiazzii (L.) Sacc., Smilax aspera L., Stachys arvensis (L.) L., Thymelaea hirsuta (L.) Endl., Tuberaria guttata (L.) Fourr., T. lipopetala (Murb.) Greuter & Burdet , and Tulipa pumila Moench