Typus : ITALY. Sicily : Monti Madonie, Monte Scalone, Polizzi Generosa (Palermo), 37°50′28″N, 14°01′06″E, 1510 m, 15.VI.2011, Di Gristina 101238 (holo- : PAL! ; iso- : PAL-Gr!, FI!, Hb. Gottschlich-60238!).

A Pilosella hoppeana subsp. macrantha (Ten.) S. Bräut. & Greuter squamis pilis glanduliferis, 0.2–1.1(-1.4) mm longis, modice densis vel subdensis, et pilis simplicibus, 0.4–1.5 mm longis, sparsis vel nullis differt.

Plant perennial, rosulate. Rhizome slender, cylindrical, fibrous, horizontal or oblique. Stolons 1–3, epigeal, short or slightly elongated, 3–7 cm long ; axis stout or slender (1.3– 2.1 mm in diam.),with dense stellate hairs ; internodes short, 0.4– 1 cm long ; stolons leaves green, obovate or lanceolate-obovate, 1.5-3.5 × 0.5-1 cm, with dense stellate hairs beneath, with moderately to rather dense, 3–5 mm long, simple hairs on both leaf surfaces. Stem erect or ascending, simple, (5-)8–20 (-25) cm high, green, beneath with sparse to moderately dense, l–4(-6) mm long, simple hairs, sparse, 0.2– 0.3 mm long, glandular hairs and moderately dense stellate hairs, above with sparse or no, 0.4–1.5 mm long, simple hairs, moderately to rather dense, 0.2–l.l(-1.4) mm long, glandular hairs and dense stellate hairs. Rosetteleaves 3–5(-7), green, petiolate ; lamina oblanceolate spathulate, 3.5–5.5 × 0.7–1.3 cm, entire, obtuse, rounded or acute, attenuate, above with moderately to rather dense, 3–5 mm long, simple hairs, beneath with dense stellate hairs and moderately to rather dense, 3–6 mm long, simple hairs, mostly along the midrib and the petiole. Cauline-leaves 0–1 (-2), like bracts. Capitula l(-2). Involucre 9–13 mm long, subglobose. Involucral bracts in a few series, greenish-grey, clearer at the margin, 2–4 mm wide, the outer ovate, obtuse or rounded, the inner lanceolate, acute, with sparse or no, 0.4–1.5 mm long, simple hairs, blackish at the basis and whitish at the apex, with moderately to rather dense, 0.2– 1.1(-1.4) mm long, glandular, blackish or yellowish glands, black peduncle, and stellate hairs. Ligules lingulate, yellow, the outer with a dark red stripe on outer face. Styles yellow. Achenes 1.9–2.5 mm long, blackish brown. Pappus 3–4 mm long, whitish.

Etymology. — The epithet “sicula” refers to the Sicily region, where the subspecies grows.

Phenology. — Flowering time : end of May-first decade of July (Fig. 2). Fruiting time : June-July.

Distribution and ecology. — Pilosella hoppeana subsp. sicula is endemic to the Madonie (North Sicily) and Nebrodi mountains (North East Sicily) (Fig. 3). In the Madonie mountains, the new subspecies occurs on the quartzarenitic stony pastures and rocky slopes of Monte Scalone, Monte dei Pini, Monte Cavallo, Monte San Salvatore, between 1400 and 1850 m. It is also occasionally growing on the limestone rocky slopes of Monte dei Cervi, Monte Quacella and Cozzo del Filatore. In the Nebrodi mountains, the new taxon is represented by a small population consisting approximately of 50 individuals occurring only on the quartzarenitic slopes of Monte Campanito (Nicosia, Enna), at the border of Fagus sylvatica L. forest, between 1390 and 1430 m a.s.l. Regarding to phytosociological aspects, Pilosella hoppeana subsp. sicula belongs to the associations of the “Plantaginion cupanii and Armerion nebrodensis alliances” (Brullo & Grillo, 1978; Brullo, 1984). Conservation status. — The new taxon is know from eight locations within the Protected Areas of Madonie and Nebrodi. Despite its restricted range, Pilosella hoppeana subsp. sicula is not facing any threat in the wild and a preliminary conservation status assessment of “Least Concern” [LC] following IUCN (2012) is appropriate.

Notes. — Pilosella hoppeana subsp. sicula belongs to the P. hoppeana aggr., which includes perennials plants, with few, very short and stout stolons ; oblanceolate to oblong leaves, entire, acute to obtuse, with simple hairs on both surfaces and the margin and dense stellate hairs beneath and rarely also above ; stems with a single capitulum, 0–1 cauline leaves, with numerous simple hairs and numerous to dense glandular and stellate hairs ; light or dark green bracts, the outer ovate, the inner lanceolate, rounded to obtuse or subacute, with 0 to numerous simple hairs, 0 to numerous glandular hairs and dense stellate hairs ; yellow ligules, with a dark red stripe on outer face ; blackish brown achenes.

Within this complex, the new subspecies is close to P. hoppeana subsp. macrantha, but the two subspecies can be morphologically distinguished by the indumentum on the bracts, although sometimes occurring in sympatry. Pilosella hoppeana subsp. sicula shows moderately to rather dense, 0.2– 1.1(-1.4) mm long, glandular hairs and few or no, 0.4–1.5 mm long, simple hairs on the bracts (Fig. 3A), while P. hoppeana subsp. macrantha presents bracts without or with few glandular hairs (0.1–0.5 mm long) and moderately to rather dense simple hairs (1–4 mm long) (Fig. 3B).The identification key below shows how the new subspecies can be disntigued from all the taxa of the Pilosella hoppeana aggr.