48 OUTLINE OF PLANT GEOGRAPHY 



Centaurea, thistles, blue Salvias, and Campanulas, pink catchfly 

 (Silene, Lychnis); cowslips, geraniums, pinks (Dianthus), orchids, 

 and numerous Umbelliferae. 



Many of the early spring flowers of the European woods and 

 meadows, are also quite different from those of the eastern United 

 States. It is true that in both regions, violets, spring cress, 

 hepatica, anemones, buttercups and marsh marigolds abound; 

 but the primroses and cowslips; the snowdrops, crocuses and 

 narcissus, the Christmas roses and wild hyacinths and fritillaries, 

 are absent from our eastern woods and meadows. So also are the 

 foxgloves, scabious, poppies, and cornflowers of the early summer, 

 except as these are occasionally escapes from the garden. 



Travelling eastward down the Danube, one enters the great 

 Hungarian Plain, reminding one strongly of our own prairie region. 

 This resemblance is increased by the great fields of maize, which 

 might be in Kansas or Nebraska. The climate of this region is a 

 decidedly continental one, much like the central United States, 

 and the most abundant shade-tree of the region is an American 

 one, the common locust, which seems very much at home in 

 central Europe. 



To the east of the Carpathians, lie the similar plains of Rumania 

 and southern Russia. 



The forests of the Carpathian region and the Balkans, are much 

 richer in tree-species than the rest of central Europe, and a much 

 greater amount of the original forest still persists. Most of the 

 northern European trees reach this region, but in addition there 

 are a good many other species both of conifers and deciduous trees 

 and shrubs. 



Several species of oaks, e. g., the Turkey oak (Quercus cerris), 

 and Q. Austriaca, belong to this region, and are often predominant. 

 Beeches are abundant in some localities, but seldom occur in pure 

 stands. With these are mingled hornbeams (Carpinus, Ostrya), 

 elms, maples of several species, lindens, especially the silver 

 linden (Tilia argentea), and chestnut. These make up a forest 

 very much like the typical eastern American hardwood forest. 

 Crab-apples, wild plums, cherries and pears also occur, and a 

 number of handsome shrubs, some of which are in cultivation, 

 are native to this region. Showy yellow brooms (Cytisus, spp.), 

 roses, hawthorns, hazel, elder, barberry, buckthorn (Rhamnus), 



