256 



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



following rough sketch (Fig. 96) will show. The dotted line marks the point of departure of the several 

 stems; it also marks the surface of the sand at the time when the seed germinated. From this point the 

 lonff. \igoi-ous tap-root grows downwards, and from the same point issue a greater or smaller number 

 of erect stems, constantly ramifying. The length of the root I found in three individuals to be 45, (14 

 and 71 cm.; the length of the stems in the same individuals, reckoned to the very ends of their last 

 ramifications, was found to be 76, 88 and 90 cm. If one digs out such a specimen of M. mnrina. all 

 the boughs will collapse inertly; it is only the sand that keeps them erect. 



In several of the sand dunes of Hagia Napa I found— along with Anunophila arenaria or sometimes 

 growing all alone— great lots of a big, coarse bulbous plant; when I \-isited the place, in the beginning 



Fig. 9H. Section through a Sand-Custion formed hy Medkago marina L. 



of March, tlie plant had only leaves and therefore I have not ventured to determine it. It gets nicely on 

 even in sand dunes, the surface of which is constantly moving. One could easily understand from the 

 leaves of this plant that the sand had been lately moving; on the sides of the dunes turning away from 

 the wind they were fresh and green until 4 — 5 cm. below the surface of the sand ; but on the sides ex- 

 posed to the wind they were etiolated as far as the same length above the surface. Probably this plant 

 has been Pancratium marit'immn, which is indicated for Cyprus by Sibthorp and Kotschy; this species 

 grows especially on the sandy shores of the Mediterranean 



Several shrubby plants show a considerable ability in binding the sand and will often form sand 

 dunes in the same way as for instance Salix repens in Denmark (according to Warming) and on the west 

 coast of Norway. 



In Cyprus especially the common Pistacia LentiscHS and sometimes P. Tereh'tnthns make them- 

 selves conspicuous in this way. Thus I have noted from the drift sand regions near Hag. Amvrosios that 

 those two bushes are the most important dune-forming plants here. They are so thoroughly surrounded 

 by the sand that only the very tips of the branches are \isible. In old dunes where the sand had par- 

 tially been blown away one could see how numerous roots had been developed on the stems covered by 

 the sand. In the drift sand regions between Limassol and Amathus I have put down in my diary P. 

 Lnd'tscitti as the most important former of dunes. Of other .sand-binding small bushes, the pretty Ascle- 



