ae 
large expanse at the north-east end of the Caspian Sea, but 
smaller stretches are found interspersed in other territories. 
The surface is a perfectly level plain covered with innu- 
merable salt-lakes with here and there sand-hills. The soil 
is a compact clay often hard as stone, or loose marl with 
a mixture of chalk, permeated to a considerable depth with 
salts. 
The vegetation is exceedingly poor and uniform. Out 
of 170 species, characteristic for the salt-deserts, 63 are 
Chenopodiaceae, 17 per ct. are trees or shrubs (a very high 
proportion); perennials and biennials are to annuals as 1:1, 
In spite of uniformity, the physiognomy of the ever- 
green salt-swamps has a much less desolate appearance than 
the clay-deserts. 
“Here (in the salt-deserts) the vegetation tries, as it 
were, to make up for uniformity by its characteristic forms 
‘and by constant freshness and unusual tints. Enormous 
salt-swamps, pale green during the spring, turn by degrees 
yellowish and finally light-yellow, as the burning heat comes 
on, and again during the early days of autumn the colours 
turn to pink, scarlet and purple. Simultaneously the young 
green of the new branches shows forth and the four colours 
blend in the most charming way. It is difficult to imagine 
the effect of such a picture especially at sunrise or sunset, 
and one must see it to realize its beauty.” 
The salt-deserts contain: — 
7,68 per ct of the Ranunculaceae of the whole area 
10,84 — D) — Cruciferae — ) — 
7,68 —»— Papilionaceae —-»— 
8,4 —»— Compositae saa 
58,3 —» — Salsolaceae —»— 
3,7 — Cyperaceae = — 
16 — — Gramineae — D — 
It will be seen that the Salsolaceae predominate here. 
Borszczow gives as the most common amongst them: 
Ceratocarpus arenarius, Kalidium foliatum, K. arabicum, Halocne- 
mum strobilaceum, Salicornia herbacea, Schoberia (Suaeda) 
