IQ Historical Develoiiinent iif our KuouUMljic (in the ("y])riau Flora. 



are kept in the "Jardin des Plantes" at Paris and in the "Herbier Boissier" at Geneva. The new spedes 

 have chiefly been described and pubhshed by Boissiek. 



In chronological order the next investigator of the flora of Cyprus was the well-known Austrian 

 botanist Th. Kotschy, whose extensive journeys, continued during a long scries of years, has contributed 

 so eminently to the knowledge about the flora of the Orient. Not less than three times, viz. in October — 

 November 1840, the early spring of 1859 and from the end of March to the beginning of .June 1862, 

 he visited the island, and from all his journeys he returned to Europe richly loaded with botanical 

 treasures, and especially his last journey, which was undertaken in the company of prof. F. Ungee, has 

 been of high importance to the floristical exploration of Cyprus. Unger during this journey studied the 

 geology and cryptogamous plants of the island, while Kotschy had his attention fixed on.the phanerogamous 

 vegetation. More than anybody before or after him Kotschy has largely contributed to the knowledge of the 

 distribution of plants in Cyprus, not only through the discoveiy of several new, cndemical species, but also 

 through his exact statements concerning the occurrence of more frequent and well-known plants. The 

 earlier botanists had in most cases, following the habit of theii' contemporaries, limited themselves to 

 indicate in genei'al terms that the plants existed in the island. How much we owe to Kotschy's investigations, 

 is best seen when comparing the list of Cyprian plants given by Joseph Poech in 1842') with that contained 

 in Unoer and Kotschy's book "Die Insel Cypern" from 1865.-) Poech's list is chiefly a compilation 

 from the works of Sibthori» (the last volume of "Flora Graeca" having just been published two years 

 before); to which are added some observations and diagnoses of new species from Kotschy's first 

 visit. The total number of species mentioned does not exceed 330, while in Kotschy's list from 

 1865 we find enumei'ated not less than about 1050 species of ferns and flowering plants. Even if we 

 except about 90 species, which only grow in Cyprus in a cultivated state, and also several other 

 species, which must from various rea.sons be excluded from the flora of the island, there still remain more 

 than 800 quite certain and originally spontaneous species. Very valuable are even to-day Unger's genei'al 

 remarks on the character of the vegetation (page 101 — 115), and also Kotschy's chapter on the flora and 

 its affinities to those of the neighbour-countries (page 110 — 147) contains several views of lasting value, 

 even if the comparison between the floras of the oriental countries at an epoch when these were yet so 

 insufficiently explored, naturally is at present time in many respects antiquated. The book of the two 

 Austrian botanists will always be quite indispensable to everybody studying the plant-life of Cyprus. 



In 1853 the French geologist Albert Gaudry came to Cyprus in order to investigate the geology 

 and the agricultural conditions of the island. The interesting report'') on his journey also contains the names 

 of some Cyprian plants, which have been determinated by E. .Spach. 



During their voyage to the Levant J. D. Hooker and D. Hanbury on September 24th, ISGO, made 

 a short stay at Larnaka,'') whei'e they discovered one of the most interesting endemical Cyprian plants, 

 which Boissier has many years later named Bosea ci/pria. Other short visits were made by prof. C. Hauss- 

 knecht in December, 1866, and by J. Ball in 1877; a couple of plant-localities are the only signs of 

 their transient herborisations on Cyprus. In 1879 Sir Samuef, Baker") added two "new" conifers to the 

 flora of the island, viz. Finns Pinea and Cednts brevi folia; as shown above (page 14) the Cypiian cedar 

 was already well-known and much commented by the authors of ancient age. 



A journey, which has contributed greatly to the knowledge on the Cyprian flora, was undertaken 

 in 1880 by the highly merited German botanical traveller, Paul Sintenis. Sintenis, who was during the 

 greater part of his excursions in the island accompanied by an Italian botanist, G. Rigo, landed in the 

 middle of February and stayed in Cyprus for several months. Ho traversed the island in dift'erent 



') Jos. PoECii, Kimiiieratio plantanun liucusciue uogiiitaruiu iii.sulac Cypri. Viudoboiiao 1842. 



2) F. Unger uiid Th. Kotschy, Die Insel Cypern, page 173—392. Wien 186."i. 



3) A. Gaudry, Rcflierclie.s scientiflqnes eu Orient. Pai'is 18.i5. 

 *) D. Hanbury, Science Papers, page 28. London 1876. 



^) Sam. Baker, Cyprus as 1 saw it in 1879, page 329 and tHH. London ls7M. 



