This study presents an updated syntaxonomic review of the annual psammophilous plant communities from coastal dunes and inland territories of Sicily. A total of 301 relevés were collected. The relevés data was analyzed using classification (WPGMA, similarity ratio) and ordination methods (Detrended Correspondence Analysis and Principal component analysis ). On the whole, 18 plant communities are recognized, four of which are described here for the first time (Rostrario littoreae-Tuberarietum villosissimae, Filago asterisciflorae-Loeflingietum hispanicae, Astragalo kamarinensis-Coronilletum repandi, Sileno coloratae-Ononidetum variegatae cutandietosum maritimae). The surveyed associations are ascribed to the following orders: Cutandietalia maritimae (annual associations of semi-fixed dunes) and Malcolmietalia (inland sandy soil communities). Moreover, for this late order a new alliance, Evaco asterisciflorae-Linarion humilis, that groups the therophytic communities from fossil dunes and deep sandy soils of the inland of the Sicily is proposed. Another aim of this study is to check and compare the discrete model of plant community against the continuum model along environmental gradients.