According to projects and practices that the Italian botanists and ecologists are carrying out for bringing "more nature in the city", new insights for a factual integration between ecological perspectives and more consolidated aesthetic and agronomic approaches to the sustainable planning and management of urban green areas are provided.Keywords Ecosystem services, Human well-being, Green infrastructure, Urban green areas, Urban biodiversity.

Background: Since ancient times, man has learned to use plants to obtain natural dyes, but this traditional botanical knowledge (TBK) is eroding. In the late, during, and the early 1800s, there was an increase in research related to dye species, and this allowed the development of industry and economy in rural contexts of Southern Italy. Today, dyes are mainly obtained from synthetic products, and this leads to risks for human health related to pollution. Methods: Starting from the literature, three catalogs of the dyeing species (plants, algae, fungi, and lichens) used in the Mediterranean Basin and mainly in Southern Italy have been created. Percentages of parts used and colors extracted from species have been recorded and analyzed. The plant species present in the catalogs have been verified in the territories of Southern Italy, and the data have been registered. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted, in the region of Southern Italy, to verify the erosion level of traditional botanical knowledge, linked to the ethnobotanical dyeing, over time. Results: A total of 524 species were recorded among plants, algae, fungi, and lichens, and related parts used and extracted pigments. Most uses concern the stems and leaves, and the most frequent color is yellow. From the onfield survey operations, 283 plant species have been verified. These represent 64.31% of the species reported in the flora of the dye plants produced. The results, from the ethnobotanical survey, show that only 8.6% of TBK remained in the collective memory. Conclusions: This catalog is among the largest in this sector and is the basis for studies related to the restoration of an eco-sustainable economy which would allow the development of marginal areas present throughout Southern Italy.

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In this work, the effect of dyes extracted through the Naviglio method (an eco-innovative solid-liquid extraction technique) was tested, which proved interesting for such an extraction. The dyes extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller waste were treated to maximize the extraction of the coloring molecules. The extraction method was compared with conventional methods under the same conditions. The results showed that the extracts obtained with the different techniques, in the same extraction conditions (solvent, pH, temperature, time), were richer in the pigments for the extract obtained with the Naviglio method. The stability of the dyes was tested before the staining. A plant-based fiber, cotton, as well as an animal-based fiber, wool, were chosen for the staining tests. For the two types of fiber, two etching methods were used: one with rock alum, a method widely used to fix a color and one with lemon juice, a method used for a long time by rural populations who practiced the coloring of hides and tissues. In addition, the qualitative content of the pigments was also verified with an HPLC profile of the Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller extracts. Ultimately, the results suggest that the Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller fruit can be of great interest as a natural source of dyes and be used for tinctures.

Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) are a persistent environmental organic contaminant. The possibility of obtaining synergistic effects between plants and microorganisms has further increased the possibility of alternative techniques for bioremediation. Oloptum miliaceum (L.) Röser & H.R. Hamasha and Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk.) Chiov. are, undoubtedly, good model plants for phytoremediation because they have large roots, leaf biomass, and a fast and effective renewal capacity, also, they have a great capacity to host endophytes in their roots. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based on carbon fraction number was a basic technique used to determine the hydrocarbon degradation, and microorganism’s population was identified by high-throughput sequencing of 16s rRNA. The microbial consortium used allows the plant to increase overall biomass, adapt more in terms of redox biology (Superoxide dismutase SOD, catalase CAT, ascorbate peroxidase APX, guaiacol peroxidase GPX), and stress markers (Glutathione S-transferase GST, Phenylalanine Ammonia Lyase PAL, Proline content, and lipid peroxidation MDA). In addition, the photosynthetic efficiency and the soil dehydrogenase activity were monitored. After 240 days, the percentage of TPHs removed in Group 2 was 94%, whereas in Group 1, it was 78% in Oloptum miliaceum and Pennisetum setaceum. The removal of aliphatic hydrocarbons (C13–C36) was observed in Oloptum miliaceum and Pennisetum setaceum inoculated with the consortium of indigenous bacteria selected from rhizosphere soil and mycorrhizae strains. Our data demonstrate that, the Poaceae, in relation to its great ecological and vegetative potential, could be a great candidate for extensive remediation of soils contaminated by TPHs.