Chap. IV] MOUNTAIN REGIONS IN TEMPERATE ZONES 773 



The Swiss loivland, like the Central European lowland, has been trans- 

 formed beyond recognition by cultivation. Probably it formerly presented 

 a park-like appearance, in which, according to the nature of the soil, forest 

 and grassland divided the area between them. The forest was probably 

 mostly of beech, in places of oak, in the south of chestnut, on sandy soil 

 of Scots pine. The grassland in places, for instance in Valais, had the 

 character of steppe ; the rest of Switzerland was probably always meadow. 

 The basal region of the Swiss Alps has also been changed in its appear- 

 ance by cultivation. It may, however, be assumed that, in accordance with 

 the more abundant atmospheric precipitations, luxuriant forest prevailed 

 there, and it was broad-leaved forest similar to that occurring in the 

 lowland on moist soil. Beech-forest preponderated and still occurs in 

 places. Other species of trees, such as hornbeam and Norway maple, 

 are subordinate though frequent accessory constituents of these beech- 

 forests ; the gean is rarer, and the holly occurs merely as a shrub. 



The montane region, corresponding to the reduced temperature, exhibits 

 a more northern character. The forest here consists of spruce ; broad- 

 leaved trees occur only isolated and differ from those of the beech-forest, 

 being species such as Acer Pseudoplatanus and Sorbus Aucuparia. The 

 underwood is often rich and consists of Sambucus racemosa, Ribes nigrum 

 and R. petraeum, Lonicera alpigena and L. nigra, Salix grandiflora, and 

 others. Narrow and thin forests of Cembran pine and larch, the former 

 ascending higher than the latter, occupy the upper boundary of the moun- 

 tain region and form the tree-limit. 



Elfin-wood, which in many mountains as a broad belt occupies the 

 base of the alpine region, in Switzerland occurs only at a few points in 

 GraubLinden and Valais, and consists of only one species, the mountain- 

 pine, Pinus montana, var. Pumilio. As dwarf-trees never taller than 

 a man, with decumbent stems and long serpentine branches, these pines 

 cover dry rocks and gravel, especially on calcareous soil. More frequent 

 than this elfin- wood, above the tree-limit are bushes of the green alder, 

 Alnus viridis. This shrub, which may attain a man's height, has not the 

 characteristic form of the elfin-trees. 



The alpine region most usually commences with shrub of Rhododendron. 

 The two Swiss species, Rhododendron hirsutum (Fig. 471, 2) on limestone, 

 and R. ferrugincum (Fig. 471, 1) on silicious soil, are found in greatest 

 numbers together within this belt, which is 300 meters wide ; but they 

 descend lower as underwood in coniferous forest, also ascend higher as 

 isolated individuals up to 2,400 meters. 



Alpine Rhododendron-bush occupies the steeper slopes where the finer 

 constituents of the soil are easily washed away from the surface, so that 

 the nature of the soil is suited only for deep-rooted plants. In less steep 

 places grassland predominates, and higher up, as far as perpetual snow, 



