THE AFGHAN DELIMITATION COMMISSION. 23 
of Allium were equally abundant, giving their own peculiar colouring to immense tracts 
of country. In the water-courses Tamarix gallica, T. tetandra, and Dorema glabrum were 
found; the last throwing up flowering stems fully twelve feet in height, clothed with a 
blaze of mimosa-like flowers, and forming a thicket in the shade of which a large 
Atriplex was very luxuriant, and was greedily eaten by our cattle and camels, At 
Sim-koh we encamped at the base of the hill of that name, at an altitude of about 
3000 feet, the hill itself being about 500 feet higher, and in the vicinity of a fine 
perpetual spring of water. Неге in the deep gorge of the stream Morus alba, 
a large indigenous tree, was common, associated with Celtis caucasica and a large 
shrubby Ficus, which is without doubt the wild condition of the cultivated fig. The 
Celtis I had not seen before, although much of the fuel we used during the previous 
winter at Bala-morghab was the wood of this tree. At Tirphul I had seen stunted 
plants of the Ficus; but here it was a fine large shrub laden with the yet unripe fruit, 
covering the whole southern exposure of the Sim-koh hill Salix acmophylla grew 
plentifully in some of the water-courses, especially between Sim-koh and Karez-llias. 
In the alluvial soil at the source of the stream Glycyrrhiza glandulifera grew in great 
luxuriance, reaching a height of fully nine feet, with Althea officinalis, not met with 
elsewhere. Rosa anserinefolia was common on the rocks; and at a waterfall I 
collected my only Afghan fern, Adiantum Capillus-veneris. Неге, as well as near Karez- 
Шав, on the gravel slopes of the water-courses the indigenous form (S. ¢etranda, Stev.) 
of Spinacia oleracea was common, and recognized by the Afghans as Spinaj or Spinahk. 
In addition to the plants already named various species of Acantholimon, Eremostachys, 
Cousinia, and Artemisia were plentiful, with several species of Orobanche parasitic on 
the last two genera. : 
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Mount Do-sHAKH. 
From Zindijan I visited the Do-shakh range, which forms the watershed between the 
Hari-rud and Harut rivers. These hills are of limestone formation, with an extremely 
jagged outline, and have two principal peaks, from which the range takes its name, 
and which are probably not above 4,500 feet in altitude. On the journey I found 
Cousinia Deserti and Cousinia heterophylla both very common on the gravel plateaus, with 
Cnicus arvensis, Lactuca orientalis, Eryngium carlinioides, and Ephedra, covering vast 
tracts of country; and here and there a few patches of Andropogon laniger. Іп some 
of the dry water-courses Glycyrrhiza triphylla was very prevalent, growing in luxuriant | 
beds, bearing numerous spikes of lovely white flowers, succeeded by curious brown 
bristly pods. Astragulus anisacanthus and Convolvulus fruticosus were likewise 
common; the latter an extremely stiff, woody, thorny species, most unlike any of 
our British Convolvuli. Chenopodium Botrys occurred in large tufts, and was collected 
and used as a pot-herb by my guides. On reaching Kishimaru, an encamping 
ground, I found a stream of water which issued from the northern base of the 
гармин hills, close to one of the main peaks. І followed this watercourse up to its | 
source and found Cercis Siliquastrum as a large bush up to twelve feet in height, 
forming a thicket on both sides of the stream. І did not meet with this elsewhere in 
