SRE ERE 
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 Garex 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 tricorne 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 rosefte-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 (RAUNKIÆR 1905 
