128 THE CONIFEROUS PLANTS OF ITALY. 



and the southern forms, Pinus Pinea and Cupressus sempervi- 

 rens, which are found here cultivated in gardens. Two forms 

 of Abies are found on the Euganean mountains, which rise 

 abruptly from the plain. 



With the Apennines commences the Flora of the Mediterra- 

 nean. If we first confine our attention to the plains, valleys, 

 and hills which are in the evergreen region (jegio sempervirens), 

 we have three species of Pines, viz. P. Pinaster, Pinea, and 

 Halepensis ; three Junipers, viz. J. plioenicea, macrocarpa, and 

 comtnutiis ; and lastly, Cupressus sempervirens, which is not 

 truly wild. Although the number of species is thus the same 

 as that of northern Europe, yet fewer principal forms are met 

 with ; and although we find here Pine woods and Juniper thickets, 

 they cannot, as far as their importance is concerned, be com- 

 pared for a moment with the northern species. Of the three 

 species of Pine, P. Pinaster belongs to the southern and central 

 parts of western Europe (west of France, Portugal, Spain). It 

 is not found in Italy further south tlian 42 N. lat., and probably 

 not to the east of the Apennines. The second species, P. Pinea, 

 appears to be really wild in a little zone from east to west of 

 Central Italy ; it is very generally cultivated throughout Italy, 

 and in all the countries surrounding the Mediterranean. Tlie 

 third species, P. halepensis, is very common on either side of 

 the Apennines, and is one of the plants most generally met with 

 round the Mediterranean. The two Junipers, viz. J. macro- 

 carpa and plioenicea, are similarly distributed, and are very 

 common : J. communis is found in tiie plain as far south as 

 40'. 



The region of the woods {Regio sylvatica) of the Apennines 

 is principally occupied, in its lower part, by Chesnut-trees and 

 deciduous-leaved Oaks, in its upper part by Beech ; some Coni- 

 fers are also present, especially in the region of the Beech ; these 

 Conifers are partly the same as those found on the Alps, viz. 

 Abies pectinata, Taxus baccata, Juniperus communis and Sa- 

 bina, and partly of new forms, viz. Pinus Laricio on Etna, in 

 Calabria, and in the Abruzzi, and on some other mountains in 

 the basin of the Mediterranean ; Pinus brutia, which, according 

 to our present knowledge, is indigenous to Calabria, and Ju- 

 niperus Oxycedrus, which appears to extend from the east to 

 the west of Italy. 



There is but a small number of the mountains of the Apen- 

 nines which enter the sub- Alpine region ; but when this is the 

 case as at Majella, we find a species of prostrate Pine analogous 

 to P. Pumilio, viz. P. magellensis. Juniperus nana is found 

 on the northern Apennines, on Mount Velino, and perhaps in 

 other places : lastly, Juniperus hemisphcerica grows on Mount 



