RODENTS OF LIBYA 25 



by dense growths of sedges and other mesophytic plants. In those 

 oases where the water table is near the surface, sedges (Cyperus and 

 Scirpus L.) occur over an appreciable portion of the oasis. Besides 

 sedges, the most abundant species of emergent vegetation are Poly- 

 pogon monspeliensis (L.) Desf., Erianthus ravennae (L.) Beauv. 

 Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. Phragmites communis Trim, Desmo- 

 stachya bipinnata (L.) Stapf., Juncus bujonius L., Juncus maritimus 

 Lam., and Typha angustifolia L. At the oasis of Brach in the Fezzan, 

 fresh water is abundant and supports dense growths of Phragmites. 



In the broad, shallow wadis of the Fezzan, date palms and tamarix 

 occur almost uninterruptedly for stretches of 50 kilometers or more 

 and, in effect, have all of the floral characteristics of the isolated 

 oases. The oases in the Wadi es Sciati, north of Sebha, and those of 

 Murzuch, Traghen, Umm el Araneb, Meseguin, and Zuila are linked 

 together by scattered palms and tamarix. 



In the Wadi el Agial, southwest of Sebha, groves of date palms 

 extend uninterruptedly for over 150 kilometers. 



The grass cover of Libya. The grass cover of Libya has been divided 

 by Rattray (1960) into six regions based on the dominant type of 

 grasses present. The Phalaris L. type is associated with a woodland 

 habitat and is limited to the uplands of the Cyrenaican Plateau. 

 Several other species of grasses are also commonly associated in this 

 Phalaris type of grass cover. These include Hordeum bulbosum L., 

 Poa bulbosa L., Lolium rigid um Gaud., Oryzopsis miliacea (L.) Aschers. 

 and Schweinf., and Dactylis glomerata. 



Rattray includes the coastal fringes and littoral deserts of Libya 

 within the Hyparrhenia type of grass cover. Because of intensive 

 utilization in this region, the vegetation has been reduced to a shrub 

 steppe, but in protected areas, Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf. is the 

 dominant grass. The grasses Oryzopsis miliacea and Cynodon dactylon 

 (L.) Pers. are also common in the Hyparrhenia zone which occurs at 

 altitudes ranging from sea level to over 600 feet and receives from 

 8 to 16 inches of rainfall during the winter season. 



According to Rattray, a small portion of the Gefara Plain of 

 northwestern Tripolitania belongs to the Stipa lagascae Roem. and 

 Schult.-tS^ipa parviflora Desf. type of grass cover. This is a sparsely 

 growing perennial grass cover interspersed among a shrub-steppe 

 type of vegetation consisting of Ziziphus lotus (L.) Desf., Artemisia 

 campestris L., and Rhanterium suaveolens Desf. This type of grass 

 cover occurs at elevations ranging from sea level to 650 feet and with 

 a winter rainfall of 6 to 10 inches. 



The Stipa tenacissima L.-Lygeum spartum Loefl. type of grass cover 

 represents a perennial grassland on the Gebel Nefusa and adjoining 

 portions of the Tripolitanian Gebel. This association usually occurs 



285-134 O — 68 3 



