THE NORTH TEMPERATE ZONE 



63 



The barren plateau region is very poor in species, the most 

 characteristic being coarse tussock grasses, of which one, the 

 " Haifa grass" (Stipa tenacissima) is of importance in paper 

 making. The steppes may be rocky, sandy or saline, with cor- 

 responding differences in the vegetation, which is even-where 

 meagre. Trees are absent, and occasional shrubs, tamarisk, 

 pistache or tall stalks of fennel, are all that break the monotony 

 of the barren wastes. 



Fig. 11. — Mt. Atlas cedar, Algeria. Photo., Dr. W. A. Cannon. 



In the drier regions to the south the vegetation becomes more 

 decidedly African in character, cactus-like Euphorbias, Mesem- 

 bryanthemums, Acacias, and others being features of the flora. 



The south side of the Saharan Atlas exposed to the hot dry 

 winds of the Sarhara has very scanty vegetation, and the great 

 Sahara itself is notoriously barren. 



From Tripoli eastward, there are no mountains of importance 

 and the shores of the Mediterranean are largely made up of sandy 

 beaches and dunes. The rainfall diminishes rapidly eastward, 

 and the desert reaches to the sea coast. In the oases, there is a 

 limited number of plants, aside from the date-palms. Among 



