BOTANICAL GEOGRAPHY. 453 



Huescar (almost 8000'), where there exist large numbers of pines (Pinm syl- 

 vestris) : the vegetation here also appears to resemble that of the Sierra 

 Nevada, inasmuch as Lonicera arborea, e. g. is found there. The same 

 applies to the Sierra de Eilabres at Almeria (7000'), where Willkomm met 

 with a number of plants endemic to the Sierra Nevada. 



The low plain of Andalusia, or the district of the valley of the Guadalquivir, 

 is inferior to the highlands of the south as regards the abundance of plants 

 it contains, but is at the same time more carefully cultivated, especially 

 around Seville. Willkomm found the tracts lying waste between Seville 

 and Huelva, covered with dwarf-palms, also woods of pines and cork ; oaks 

 were common. In the autumn, numerous Liliaceous plants generally 

 flowered there, with Carenoa lutea B. (Pancratium hnmile Cav.), one of the 

 Amaryllidaceae. Along the sandy coast, within the lagunes and salt-marshes, 

 which at Huelva e. g., extend inwards to a considerable distance, pine forests 

 extend from the Straits of Gibraltar to the mouth of the Guadiana, the 

 underwood of which, opposite the coast-branches of the Sierra Morena, 

 consists of Cistus ladaniferus, Ulex Boivini, &c. On the eastern terminal 

 point of this line of coast, on the Sierra of Algesiras, the traveller met with 

 a splendid forest of tall cork-oaks and olive trees, such as does not exist 

 elsewhere in Spain, where Rhododendron ponticum is also mentioned as 

 occurring by Boissier. 



Willkomm visited Algarve in February 1846. The inhabitants distinguish 

 three regions in it. a. The sandy line of coast (Cousta), which scarcely 

 extends two leagues into the country, was originally a desert ravaged by the 

 sea, but by industry has been converted, especially nearTavira, into a paradise- 

 like district of gardens, containing plantations of southern fruits, vineyards, 

 and corn-fields. Between Faro and Albufeira, this cultivated surface is inter- 

 rupted by an extensive pine forest, containing Erica umbellata. Characteristic 

 plants : Empetrum album, Ulex Boivini and genistoides, Myagrum iberioides, 

 Arenaria emarginata, Linaria praecox and Unogrisea, Aristolochia batica 

 (glauca Brot.) and Scilla odorata and pumila. b. The hilly country (Bar- 

 rocal), extending to 1000', is very much divided, and consists of various 

 calcareous conglomerates ; it is also fertile and well watered ; still a con- 

 siderable extent of the good soil lies waste, and is covered with Montebaxo. 

 The vegetation was still backward; at Louie, e. g. Erica austmlis 

 and lusitanica, Osyris quad^artita, and several Narcissi, were found. 

 c. The mountainous region (Serra), a terminal, undulating prolongation of 

 the Sierra Morena, like the latter consisting of grauwacke and clay-slate, 

 the western portion only, the Sierra de Monchique, being composed of granite 

 and basalt, appeared dark green, yet not susceptible of cultivation. It is a 

 remarkable fact, and tends to show the great influence of the geological 

 substratum, that even here the shrubs of the Spanish Sierra Morena pre- 

 dominate, Cistus ladaniferus being very common, but mixed with the two 

 Erica of 4he Barrocal. The valleys of the Sierra de Monchique are, however, 



