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Alei are also covered with trees, exclusive of the Fir tribes, 

 and the same is probably the case with the other small rivers. 

 The Uba and Ulba, however, where they have their course 

 beyond the mountain, are, so far as I have seen, unadorned 

 with wood ; and, in general, the greater portion of this wide 

 steppe tract, with the exception of the above-mentioned Pine 

 forest, that extends almost uninterruptedly from Barnaul to 

 Schulbinsk, is entirely barren of trees; but farther north, 

 there is no deficiency of them. In these steppes occur many 

 plants that grow plentifully in Europe, particularly the fol- 

 lowing ; — Adonis vernalis and Anemone patens, both in great 

 abundance; many species of Artemisia, Allium, Gypsophila, 

 and Statice, numerous UmbellatcB ; Ceratocarpus arenarius and 

 Diotis ceratoides cover whole tracts ; and where the ground is 

 impregnated with saline principle, the peculiar salt-plants 

 occur in abundance, such as the species of Polycnemum, 

 Atriplex, Chenopodium, Frankenia, Tamarix, Salicornia, and 

 Halocnefnum ; also Chorispora sihirica, Diotis atriplicoides 

 and others. Farther to the south, Amaryllis tatarica is 

 extremely plentiful, with Rindera tetraspis, and the equally 

 rare Nepeta sihirica ; and the beautiful Eremurus growing on 

 the little hills. But the peculiar richness of the Flora of this 

 steppe first displays itself in the neighbourhood of the Irtysch, 

 and on its left bank, especially in the tract of the Noor Saisan, 

 where, besides most of the above-named plants, the following 

 deserve to be particularly noted : — a new species of Peplis, 

 and of Camphorosma ; many individuals, quite peculiar to this 

 country, belonging to the genera Cachrys, Peucedanum and 

 Seseli ; among the Asperifolice, the genera Echinospermum 

 and Lithospermum, Cynoglossum viridijlorum, Solenanthus cir- 

 cinnatus (n. sp.), Tounefortia Arguzia, Hyoscyamus pusillus. 

 Rheum leucorhizum, Arenaria tuhulata, A. filifolia and longi- 

 folia. Cotyledon Lievenii (n. sp.), Saponaria elegans (n. sp.), 

 many Zygophylla, Amrnodendron Sieversii, Calligonum Pallasii, 

 the Saxaul {Anabasis Ammodendron, n. sp.), Rosa berberifolia, 

 Ranunculus platyspermus, Dodartia orientalis, Dracocephalum 

 integrifolium (n. sp.), two new kinds oi Eremostachys, (a genus 

 that ranks between Phlomis and Molucella,) Phlomis agraria, 



