768 ZONES AND REGIONS [Pt. Ill, Sect. IV 



2. THE REGIONS IN WARM TEMPERATE DISTRICTS 

 WITH MOIST WINTERS. 



i. MEDITERRANEAN DISTRICT. 



The mountains of the Mediterranean district have for the most part 

 lost the original character of their vegetation, so that the natural belts 

 must be reconstructed from scanty relics, and then not always with certainty. 

 The two most important chains of mountain of the southern part of the 

 district, Lebanon and the Atlas, have, like the lowland, dry summers and 

 consequently sclerophyllous vegetation in the montane region also (Fig. 470). 

 In the northern mountains of the Mediterranean district the winter-cold 

 of the montane region induces a decided period of rest, whilst, on the other 

 hand, richer atmospheric precipitations during the summer favour vegetative 

 activity. Accordingly sclerophyllous woodland, which exhibits no rest in 

 winter and a subdued vegetative activity in summer, is succeeded by 

 mesophilous woodland with a rest in winter and vigorous vegetative activity 

 in summer. The similarity of the climate in the montane region to that 

 of the Central European lowland renders possible colonization by trees 

 that have migrated from the north with very little variation or usually 

 none at all. 



Only a few of the Mediterranean mountains rise into the alpine region. 

 A rich alpine flora is exhibited only on the Sierra Nevada, where it 

 displays a more marked xerophilous stamp than on more northern moun- 

 tains, and also includes many endemic plants (Fig. 47 1 )- 



REGIONS ON JURJURA AND THE ALGERIAN ATLAS 1 . 

 Montane Region. Meters. 



Lower belt i ; 3 00 



Quercus Suber . . . . . . . . . . .1,100 



Chamaerops humilis 1,200 



Pinus halepensis, dominant between 800-900 meters, forms forest, 



but occurs from the coast up to i,7co 



Upper belt 1,900 



Quercus Ilex, var. Ballota i,coo-i,6co 



Cedrus atlantica and C. Libani 1,200-1,900 



Alpine Region, 1,900-2,308 meters (Jurjura). 



Small shrubs and herbs, partly endemic, partly identical with Southern 

 and Central European alpine species. 

 Note.— Steppe occurs on the plateaux of South Algeria, corresponding to the 

 spring rains. 



In Morocco, Quercus Ilex in stunted form marks the limit of tree-growth. 



REGIONS ON THE SIERRA NEVADA, SPAIN 2 . 

 Montane Region. F ee t. 



Sclerophyllous belt 5> O0 ° 



1 After Trabut, op. cit. 2 Boissier, op. cit. ; Willkomm, op. cit. 



