Te 
DU RIETZ, FRIES und TENGWALL let agreement, (between asso- 
ciations composing the formations) in regard to the dominant 
growth-forms be the determining factor. I agree with these 
scientists in believing that inductive research must be based 
on the vegetation itself and its growth-forms, not on the con- 
ditions for growth. The growth-forms used here, are, as has 
already been stated, the growth-forms of RAUNKIAER’S system, 
and in this book the formations will be characterized ac- 
cording to the growth-forms of the constituent species, based 
on RAUNKIAER’S conception. Unfortunately it has been impos- 
sible to give any formation-statistics based on the valence!) 
of species, as this method was unknown when the observa- 
tions were made. 
In a high, arid country like Pamir, conditions of growth 
are as a rule so plain and the differences in plant-growth of 
the various localities so distinct, that it seems natural to 
regard the different plant-communities as formations, and 
the result shows that most of them are rightly regarded 
as formation. The idea of association, — species-list, to use 
a single word, — is of less importance in such a country. 
This is especially true in extensive investigations, where the 
point in question is to see large tracts of country, and to 
characterize in general. Of course species-lists have been 
made from many localities, (they form indeed the basis for 
our investigations), and many of these lists are given later 
on to illustrate the formations. The vegetation divisions are 
based on them. 
B. FEDTSCHENKO (1902?) gives the following synopsis of 
the most characteristic plant formations of Pamir. 
1. Aquatic vegetation in fresh water lakes, river-wind- 
ings, and puddles, composed of very common species, Caulinia 
fragilis, Ranunculus aquatilis, Utricularia vulgaris (?) and Ra- 
nunculus natans. 
2. Near the river-banks groups of bushes, Myricaria 
germanica, and between these, Oxytropis glabra, Artemisia sp. 
etc., are found on sandbanks. 
3. On the terrace nearest the rivers there is usually a 
1) RAUNKIAER, 1909, 1918. 
