66 



Tragopogon, etc. Here and there may be seen the erect blue 

 inflorescences of the parasitic Orobanche amoena. 



The plants just mentioned belong to the Spring-plants. 

 Both annuals and perennials are represented, the former 

 being predominant. The perennials are either bulbs, tuberous 

 geophytes or hemicryptophytes. Rhizome-geophytes seem to 

 be absent, with the exception of Carex stenophylla which is 

 generally a sand-plant; nor is the stiff clayey soil favourable 

 to them. 



The spring-plants, with the exception of Ferula Asa foe- 

 tida, are low, ranging from a few centimetres up to about 

 30 cm, and they are as a rule soft pliant erect herbs with 

 no pronounced xerophytic structure (see figures 5, 6, 7). A 

 frequent character is that the leaves or the leaf segments are 

 narrow, linear or sometimes filiform (Leptaleum, Euphorbia 

 pygmaea, Valerianella, Koelpinia, Caucalis, Aphanopleura, Ca- 

 rum confusum, Peucedanum &c,), and generally hairy. The 

 Astragalus species have multipinnate leaves, A. mucidus with 

 about 20 pairs of leaflets, A. macronyx about 30 pairs. 



Plants with broader, elliptical or ovate leaves are less 

 common, for instance Euclidium syriacum, Malcolmia africana, 

 Goldbachia laevigata. The leaf-blade in most of them is downy 

 or setaceous, while Alyssum marginatum and several Cruci- 

 ferae have stellate hairs. Cousinia and Galium income are 

 thorny. A good many plants occur which are glabrous or 

 nearly so, for instance: Koelpinia, Trigonella, Valerianella, Apha- 

 nopleura, Peucedanum, Goldbachia, Spinacia, Hypecoum. 



Erect and short stems are the most common. The oc- 

 currence of a number of plants with prostrate stems (e. g. 

 Arnebia decumbens, Trigonella, Galium, Leptaleum filifolium, An- 

 drachne telephioides) is a natural feature of a vegetation which 

 is not dense; between the plants there is enough space and 

 light for prostrate stems. These do not apparently give off 

 roots; there are neither above-ground runners nor subterra- 

 nean ones. 



A few rosette-plants occur, both annuals and perennials. 

 Annual rosette-plants are represented by Hypecoum, Plantago 

 lachnantha, Ceratocephalus, perennials by Taraxacum, Gentiana 

 Olivieri. There are several semi-rosette-plants (RAUNK.LER 1905 



