Species identification within the species complex of Q. pubescens is a well-known taxonomic challenge among European botanists. Some of the specific pubescent oak binomials currently accepted in various European floras and checklists were originally described in Sicily and southern Calabria. As a consequence, several species belonging to the pubescent oaks group (Q. pubescens, Q. amplifolia, Q. congesta, Q. dalechampii, Q. leptobalana and Q. virgiliana) are reported in the taxonomic and phytosociological literature. To verify whether it was possible to associate a diverse set of morphological characters with each of these different taxa, thirteen natural populations of pubescent oak from Sicily and southern Calabria were sampled. A total of 391 trees, 3,887 leaves and 1,047 fruits were collected. Overall, 28 morphological characters of oak leaves and fruits were statistically analysed using univariate and multivariate procedures. The results showed that neither the groups of morphological diversity identified by cluster analysis, nor those obtained by our expert identification through the use of analytical keys, matched with the current taxonomical frameworks as proposed by the most recent floras and checklists. Nearly all of the morphological characters considered displayed a more or less continuous trend of variation, both within and among populations. In the light of these findings it seems unlikely that more than one biological species of pubescent oak occurs in Sicily and southern Calabria.

中文翻译：

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意大利南部和西西里短毛橡树诊断性状的多变量形态计量分析

Q. pubescens 物种复合体中的物种鉴定是欧洲植物学家众所周知的分类学挑战。目前在各种欧洲植物群和清单中接受的一些特定的短柔毛橡木二项式最初是在西西里岛和卡拉布里亚南部描述的。因此，在分类学和植物社会学文献中报道了属于短柔橡树群的几个物种（Q. pubescens、Q. amplifolia、Q. congesta、Q. dalechampii、Q. leptobalana 和 Q. virgiliana）。为了验证是否可以将一组不同的形态特征与这些不同的分类群中的每一个相关联，对来自西西里岛和卡拉布里亚南部的 13 个短柔毛橡树自然种群进行了采样。共采集树木391株、树叶3887片、果实1047个。全面的，使用单变量和多变量程序对橡树叶和果实的 28 种形态特征进行了统计分析。结果表明，无论是通过聚类分析识别出的形态多样性组，还是我们通过使用分析关键字通过专家识别获得的组，都与最新植物群和清单提出的当前分类框架不匹配。几乎所有被考虑的形态特征都显示出或多或少连续的变异趋势，无论是种群内部还是种群之间。根据这些发现，在西西里岛和卡拉布里亚南部出现不止一种短柔毛橡树的生物物种似乎不太可能。结果表明，无论是通过聚类分析识别出的形态多样性组，还是我们通过使用分析关键字通过专家识别获得的组，都与最新植物群和清单提出的当前分类框架不匹配。几乎所有被考虑的形态特征都显示出或多或少连续的变异趋势，无论是种群内部还是种群之间。根据这些发现，在西西里岛和卡拉布里亚南部出现不止一种短柔毛橡树的生物物种似乎不太可能。结果表明，无论是通过聚类分析识别出的形态多样性组，还是我们通过使用分析关键字通过专家识别获得的组，都与最新植物群和清单提出的当前分类框架不匹配。几乎所有被考虑的形态特征都显示出或多或少连续的变异趋势，无论是种群内部还是种群之间。根据这些发现，在西西里岛和卡拉布里亚南部出现不止一种短柔毛橡树的生物物种似乎不太可能。几乎所有被考虑的形态特征都显示出或多或少连续的变异趋势，无论是种群内部还是种群之间。根据这些发现，在西西里岛和卡拉布里亚南部出现不止一种短柔毛橡树的生物物种似乎不太可能。几乎所有被考虑的形态特征都显示出或多或少连续的变异趋势，无论是种群内部还是种群之间。根据这些发现，在西西里岛和卡拉布里亚南部出现不止一种短柔毛橡树的生物物种似乎不太可能。