CHAP. LXXXIV MAQUI 307 



Cistus-maqui is the most widely distributed over the whole Spanish 

 peninsula ; such maquis are known as ' jarales '. 



Erica-maqui occurs in the north of Spain where the air is more humid ; 

 in it species of Erica preponderate, but species of Ulex and Sarothammus' 

 as well as such deciduous shrubs as Crataegus monogyna, also play 

 a prominent part. The species of Erica E. scoparia, E. ciliaris, E. vagans, 

 and others are shrubs which vary from two to six feet in height. In the 

 south of France these Erica-warm's are known as Les Landes. From 

 heaths they differ in the size of the shrubs and in the absence of raw 

 humus. Maquis and garigues, according to Rikli, 1 also characterize the 

 underwood of forests of Quercus Ilex and Pinus halepensis. 



Pseudo-maqui. Closely allied to maqui is Adamovicz's 2 pseudo-maqui, 

 a xerophytic evergreen bush-formation, which occupies montane and 

 submontane regions in Mediterranean countries, and can endure a more 

 severe winter. The tallest constituents are species of Juniperus and 

 Quercus, Buxus sempervirens, and Prunus Laurocerasus. 



Makaronese Maqui. 



On the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Isles winter is so mild that 

 even the higher parts of the mountains lie within the subtropical climatic 

 zone. Summer is practically rainless, but diurnal winds cause at a certain 

 altitude a cloud-belt, which moistens the vegetation, increases the atmo- 

 spheric humidity, and decreases insolation by acting as a screen. In this 

 moist belt maqui is formed by shrubs which are from three to five metres 

 in height. Among these, some are Mediterranean species, such as Erica 

 arborea and E. scoparia, but the majority are special species differing 

 from the Mediterranean ones in the larger size of their leaf-blades. The 

 leaves are mostly of medium size, but otherwise belong to the sclerophyl- 

 lous type. The commonest species are Laurus canariensis, Ilex canariensis, 

 Heberdenia excelsa, and Myrica Faya. Lianes are scarcely represented, 

 while bulbous and tuberous plants are almost entirely absent. On the 

 southern slopes of the Canary Isles, also on Madeira and the Azores above 

 the cloud-belt, the maqui is formed by small-leaved shrubs. 3 



Maqui in Cape Colony. 



The vegetation of this is very similar to that of Mediterranean maqui. 

 It, likewise, is composed of low evergreen shrubs with small, often ericoid 

 or pinoid, stiff, not uncommonly brownish-green or grey leaves. In 

 winter, that is from May to October, the soil is often saturated with rain, 

 and the shrubs sometimes are dripping with water : this is the season of 

 their growth. Then succeeds the long dry season which they must endure. 

 Very many species have assumed a habit so similar namely, the ericoid 

 habit that it is very difficult to distinguish between them in their flower- 

 less condition, although they belong to families so utterly diverse as the 

 Ericaceae (with about 400 species of Erica), Proteaceae, Rhamnaceae, 

 Santalaceae, Polygalaceae, and Rutaceae (tribe Diosmeae). Sedges and 

 grasses play only a subordinate part. But there is a wealth of bulbous 



* Rikli, 1903. * Adamovicz, 1905. * Schacht, 1859; Vahl, 19046. 



X 2 



