History, c$c. in the European Provinces of Turkey. 417 



gai-ia, of the Chersonesus, of Asia Minor, and of Greece ; to 

 which may he added perhaps that of Dalmatia and Italy. 



We may distinguish three botanical regions ; 1. That of the 

 low land, in which corn, vines, and fruit-trees are abundant ; 

 2. The sub-alpine region, in the lower part of which the 

 greater part of the forests occur. 



The character of the forests, however, depends upon the 

 elevation. From 3200 to 2500 feet above the sea they con- 

 sist chiefly of oak ; of which the species most common are 

 Quercus robur (the English oak) and its varieties, pubescens and 

 pedunculata, Q. cerris (the Turkey oak), jEgilops (Felonia), 

 cylindrica and apennina; together with the Q. ilex (holm oak), 

 and Q. cocci/era (Kermes), in Epirus and Central Albania. 

 The Judas tree, myrtle, Nerium oleander, Colutea arborescens, 

 Tilia argentea, and several species of poplar, are associated 

 with the oak in this country. Below the region of oaks, and 

 rising to the level of about 2500 feet, the forests consist of 

 the Spanish-chestnut, with the filbert and hazel-nut ; on the 

 borders of the Adriatic, and at the foot of the mountains of 

 Thessaly, orange and lemon trees are found, and also at this 

 low level the olive and the pomegranate will flourish. The 

 larch-tree reaches to Central Albania, and the Oriental plane 

 extends as far as the Balkan. The Laurus nobilis or Bay 

 laurel forms groves at a height of 1500 or 1000 feet in Epirus. 

 The upper limit of maize in Thessaly is about 2850 feet 

 above the sea; of the rice-grounds, 1090, in Thrace ; of the 

 cotton, 2500 ; oats and barley reach 3800 on Mount Pindus, 

 and about 2400 in the Balkan. The beech grows from a 

 height of 2000 to 4900 ; the fir from 6000 to 2400 ; but it is 

 to be remarked that whilst the Pinus picea (the silver fir,) 

 Brucea (Naples fir), Pinaster (the Pinaster), and Picea (stone 

 pine), attain the elevation of 6000, the Abies communis, or 

 Norway fir, and the Larch, seem to be limited to a height of 

 4000. 



3. With respect to the third or alpine region of Turkey, from 

 6000 feet upwards, the plants that characterize it arc certain 

 lichens, saxifrages, and gentians, the Juniperus nana, Dryas 

 octopetala, Draba ateoon, Ranunculus nivalis, and other spe- 

 cies found also for the most part at similar levels in the Alns. 



