BOTANICAL GEOGRAPHY. 443 



there, is probably of longer duration than in any other point of the Mediter- 

 ranean flora. Observations are given, made at Malaga, during nearly three 

 years (1836 1839), by Haenseler, on the distribution of heat; the extreme 

 temperatures of which, as also the monthly average, calculated from the 

 corresponding months of the year in which the observations were made,* 

 yields the following values : 



Med. Max. Min. 



January . . 12'25 17'22 6'2 



February . . 14 "3 18 "25 6 '1 



March ... 15 -8 21 '62 10 -0 



April ... 17 '8 25 '0 11 '25 



May ... 21 '2 24 -5 15 '72 



June ... 23 -4 26 -87 20 "12 



July ... 26 -2 31 '87 23 '5 



August ... 26 -8 30 '6 23 "75 



September . . 24 '4 29 '87 19 -37 



October . . 22 "25 25 '5 19 '25 



November . . 18 "15 22 "75 11 '2 



December . . 15 '75 21 '0 8 '5 



Mean annual temperature, 17'3 



The vegetation passes through phases corresponding to this climate. 

 After the dry season, Liliacese are developed during the first rain of October 

 or November ; these are succeeded by the annuals, which flower throughout 

 the entire winter. The flowering season of most of the plants is in April 

 and May; in June and July, when all the annual plants have withered, her- 

 baceous plants belonging to the families of the Synautheracae, Umbelliferae, 

 and Labiatse flower ; lastly, from August to September, the most profound 

 repose of vegetable life prevails, so that two or three Liliacese, Mandragora, 

 and Atractylis gummifera, are all that remain. The hot region is principally 

 characterised botanically by Chamaerops, which covers large tracts and pre- 

 vents cultivation ; as in Valencia, it only ascends to 2000'. Among the 

 cultivated plants, the orange also corresponds accurately to the extent of this 

 region. The soil of other parts is principally devoted to the cultivation 

 of the grape-vine, the fruit of which ripens at the end of August. The 

 Cerealia require artificial irrigation : on those parts which are reached by the 

 water from the mountains, either in its natural descent or by aqueducts, we 

 sometimes find most luxuriant fields of maize and wheat, shaded by orange 

 and mulberry trees. But such oases are rare on these bare and arid slopes, 

 on which wheat is reaped as early as the latter half of June, and barley in 

 May. However, on a narrow coast-district which surrounds the coast-chains, 



* The average which I have calculated refers, for June, July, and August, 

 to two, and for the other months to three years. 



