Never underestimate Sicilians: some case histories dealing with narrow native ranges, deliberate introduction, claimed extinction and predictable plant invasion worldwide

First described from Sicily or originally occurring only on this island, after being introduced worldwide, several vascular plants proved to be able to adapt to the enviromental conditions encountered in different biomes, and in some cases became a threat for the biodiversity of the newly invaded habitats. These paradigmatic and somewhat paradoxical cases shed light on the complexity of invasion forecasting procedures. They provide insightful examples on the global effect of voluntary or involuntary introductions of potentially invasive species and the importance of better studying the ecology and demography of rare plants within their native home range.