﻿1903] MACCHIE OF NEAPOLITAN COAST REGION 351 



species or by herbaceous perennials, therefore, often present 

 hardly any appearance of plant life during the drier months. 



Outside of the many orchards and groups of walnut trees, 

 together with occasional carefully preserved woodlands of small 

 extent, the country is generally treeless. Thickets and consid- 

 erable tracts covered with undershrubs form, however, an impor- 

 tant feature in the physiognomy of the region, as they do of 

 much ot the Mediterranean coast, from Spain to Syria. These 

 macchie, as they are called in the mainland of Italy and most of. 

 the Italian islands immediately about the bay of Naples, usually 

 occupy small tracts of uncultivable land. These are often on 

 steep hillsides, hilltops, or the flanks of mountains, at a height 



ranging from fifty to more than five hundred meters above sea 

 level. 



The plant societies of the macchie consist of many shrubby 

 species, largely Leguminosae and Cistaceae. Most of the com- 

 moner species are indigenous, and a few, such as Cistns salvif alius 

 L., Daphne Gfiiditim L., and Euphorbia deiidroides L., are highly 

 characteristic Mediterranean species. * 



The macchie of the island of Ischia consist of the following 

 species and varieties:' 



(i) Myrtus communis L.; (2) Pistacia Lentiscus L.; (3) Quercus Ilex L.; 

 (4) Quercus pubescens Willd.; Phillyrea variabilis Timb. & Lor., (5) van 

 media L. and (6) van angustifolia L.; (7) Arbutus Unedo L.; (8) Calycotome 

 villosa Link.; (9) Cytisus triflorus L'Hen; (10) Cytisus monspessulanus L.; 

 (11) Coronilla Emerus L.; (12) Spartium junceum L.; (13) Cistus monspe- 

 nsis L.; (14) C. salvifolius L.; (15) C. villosus L.; (16) Lonicera implexa 

 Ait,; (17) Rosa sempirvirens L.; (18) Erica arborea L,; (19) Rhamnus 

 Alaternus L.; (20) Daphne Gnidium L.; (21) Smilax aspera L., van mauri- 

 tanica Desf.; (22) Clematis Flammula L. 



The list for the islandof Capri is similar to that above given 

 * with the omission of numbers 5, 6, 10, and the addition of the 



following species : 



Pinus halepensis Mill.; Smilax aspera L.; Quercus Cerris L.; Q. 

 Aegilops L.; Thymelaea hirsuta Endl.; Phillyrea variabilis Timb. & Lor., 

 van latifolia L.; Euphorbia dendroides L.; Euphorbia spinosa L.; Rubus 



'Slightly modified from the list given by Gussone, Enumeratio Plantarum 

 Vascularium in Insula Inarime, p. X. Naples, 1854. 



lie 



