598 ZONES AND REGIONS [Pt. Ill, Sect. II 



and herbs likewise are very limited in numbers (Asclepias pumila, Verbena 

 pinnatifida). 



The virgin steppe in the district of the Black Sea has been described by 

 Rehmann \ from observations on the river Ingul, in words of which the 

 following is a translation : — 



'The number of species which form the primeval carpet of plants is very 

 considerable, and their grouping may vary greatly according to the nature of the soil. 

 The most important characteristic of this vegetation is the communal association 

 of Stipa pennata and S. Lessingiana ; both species are confined to a dry sterile soil 

 and cover all elevations with a homogeneous sward ; in lower, more fertile situations 

 the quantity of grass diminishes and it is partly replaced by a number of other 

 herbaceous plants ; very rarely, only on moister ground, by the water-side or in 

 depressions, Stipa completely disappears and is replaced by a few very characteristic 

 plants peculiar to such places only. This condition occurs very constantly and is 

 repeated in the Khersonese steppe with great fidelity. All dry elevated stations, 

 both on the Bug as well as on the Ingul, are covered almost exclusively by the stipa- 

 grass, while the number of accessory components that accompany the stipa-plants 

 in such places is very small ; I found only Euphorbia Gerardiana, E. nicaeensis, 

 Erysimum repandum, Arenaria graminifolia, Astragalus vesicarius, and Gypsophila 

 paniculata ; only a small number of individual plants occur and they play quite 

 a subordinate part. When observed from a distance many such places covered with 

 the Stipa-formation resemble sandy hills; on near approach, the sandy-grey tint 

 is converted into silvery white, and the appearance of this restless, ceaselessly 

 swaying grassland reminds one vividly of rippling water, and, in spite of its entire 

 monotony, gives one a subdued and pleasing impression. The aspect on lower 

 places, where Stipa is somewhat less prominent, is much more interesting; 

 numerous species of plants, quite peculiar to these stations, occupy the ground 

 which is partially free of the stipa-sward ; a rich profusion of forms appear close 

 together, making a variegated mixture of leaves, stems, inflorescences, and flowers, 

 and the vegetation of the steppe there usually affords, on comparatively small areas, 

 a variety of which our northern meadows can give only a very poor and inaccurate 

 impression. Among the constituents of the steppe Crambe tatarica takes the first 

 place ; it forms groups of fine pinnate leaves, two feet broad, and of tall branching 

 flowering axes ; between the tufts of Stipa numerous Compositae (Serratula, Jurinea, 

 and Centaurea) grow, and their large blue or yellow capitula are raised by slender 

 stalks high above the silvery foliage of the Stipa, while hidden between the less 

 closely packed haulms of the grasses (Triticum, Poa, Hierochloe) Iris humilis and 

 I. hungarica interpose their pretty short-stalked, blue flowers. Labiatae (Phlomis, 

 Salvia) form a variegated mosaic of foliage, and very peculiar species of Astragalus 

 conceal their large yellow bouquets of flowers in the midst of their pinnate leaves. 

 Some species of Euphorbia form a very important constituent of this vegetation ; 

 their rigid ashen-grey stems grow scattered in densely agglomerated tufts over the 

 whole steppe, making a striking contrast with the looser architecture of other plant- 

 forms. Of shrubby plants only Caragana frutescens occurs in numbers, but its low 



1 Rehmann, op. cit., p. 25. 



