212 Remarks on the most Important Plant-Societies of the Island. 



Jn all the localities- here spoken of the water is more or less brackish. Similar plant-societies in 

 quite fresh water I have not seen in Cyprus to any great extent. Some coarse monocotyledonous marshy 

 plants indeed occur, which in the other countries of the Mediterranean will form reedy plant-societies in 

 fresh watei' (Typha latifolia, T. angustata, Arnndo Donax, Phragmitcg communis, Carex hispida a. o.); 

 as a rule, however, they occur only rarely and in small number, f. inst. in the water drains near villages, 

 in small ponds and holes of water; as far as my expei'ience goes they are never united into real plant- 

 societies. 



The following species seem to be the most important belonging to the reedy plant-societies in 

 Cyprus : 



Eqiiisetiun raiuosissinuim 

 Typha latifolia 

 T. angustata 

 Arundo Donax 

 Phragmites communis 

 Schoenus nigricans 

 Scirpns pahister 

 S. Holosclweniis 

 S. litoralis 

 S. nuiritimus 

 Carex divisa 

 C. hispida 



Cladiitm Mariscus 



Jiincus subulatus 



J. glaucus 



J. acutus 



J. maritimus 



Orchis laxiflorus subsp. palustris 



Rumex aquaticus 



R. piilcher 



Lotus cornieidatus subsp. tcnuifoliiis 



Erythraea tenuiflora 



Chlora serotina 



In Cyprus and in the countries of the Mediterranean on the whole Scrijnis maritimus occurs as 

 often in fresh water as in salt or brackish watei'. Thus I saw it rather frequently near waterdrains 

 and riverbeds in the inner part of the island up to a height of several hundred m. above the level of the 

 sea. Tn the northern countries of Europe, where it is also widely distributed, this plant is strictly limited 

 to the coasts of the ocean. In all Norway for instance I know only one habitat of this plant near water 

 that must Lu said to be practically fresh.') So far it reminds one off. inst. Najas marina, this also commonly 

 occurring in fresh water in the south and middle of Europe, in Northern Germany and in Scandinavia, 

 however, occurring almost exclusively in bi'ackish water.-) 



C. Wet Meadows. Closely connected with the societies of reedy plants and united with them 

 through intermediate forms is an association of paludal plants which occur- especially in the low country — 

 where the soil is kept moistened by oozing water, and which therefore may surely be said to belong to 

 the class of wet meadows. lu Cyprus many species grow both in the reedy plants' society and in meadows; 

 on the whole, however, the meadows lack the great number of big, coarse monocotyledons giving the 

 reedy plants' society theii' characteristic aspect and their name. 



As a rule the wet meadows are not entirely inundated by water like the reedy plants' societies; but 

 the level of the underground water during the greater part of the year will be near the surface of the soil. 



Only a short time of the winter, some weeks at most, they will be flooded and as a rule by 

 running water; in the societies of reedy plants the water generally is far more stagnant. 



Much of that which is called "rivers" in Cyprus and which is pointed out as such in the maps, 

 from a phytogeographic point of view ought to be designated as wet meadows. Through the shallow valleys 

 of erosion traversing the loose strata of soil, much water will be streaming after an abundant rainfall, 

 but apart from this the bottom here is often so dry that the very riverbed may be made into a cornfield 

 by ploughing. As a typical example of the vegetation that is to be found in such places, if they are 



') Viz. at Arekilen in Hvaloerne outside Kristianiafjorden. In tliis place too salt water is sometimes pouring in 

 when the autunm flood will come; this, however, will only last some few days (Holmboe, Planterester i norske torvmyrer, p. 44). 

 -) (J. Andersson, IS^ajas mnrinas tidigare utbredning under kvart iirtiden p. 25H. 



