258 Remarks ou the most Important Plant-Sucieties of the Island. 



and Spatheriko, there are to be found along the coast many "live" dunes of a fine greyish brown sand, 

 bein5' moved by the lightest wind. In these dunes no other phanerogamous plants are to be seen than 

 Alhagi and Paliwus : these two species also grew near Salamis although they were not so conspicuous there. 



In many places, e. g. at Salamis, between Limassol and Amathus and near the bay of Morphu, 

 the Forest department of the Government has of late tried to stop the wandering dunes by planting t>rees. 

 The Australian Acacia longlflora has turned out to be especially fit for this purpose. 



In most places inside the zone of the "live" dunes larger or smaller tracts more or less completely 

 bound by a cover of plants are to be seen. The vegetation is far richer here than in the actual dunes as 

 regards number of species as well as individuals. Both annual and perennial species of herbaceous plants 

 occur abundantly, now growing more openly, now more densely. 



Among the Cyperaceae the big and beautiful Ci/perus Kalli is an excellent sand-binder; in its 

 way of growing it reminds one very much of our Scandinavian Carcx arenaria L. Its creeping rhizomes, 

 which have elongated joints, reach a length of several meters: they are sympodially built, with curved 

 articulations each of Avhich may be as much as 40 cm. long or even more. The rhizomes are covered 

 with brown fibrous vaginas; from the places of ramification vigorous radicels grow out, densely covered 

 with root-hairs. Cynodon Dactylon has a similar structure with long, creeping rhizomes. These two 

 species grow abundantly for instance in the sandy tracts between Limassol and Amathus; Cyperuti Kalli 

 is also very frequent near Salamis. 



Warming 1) notices as a characteristic feature, distinguishing the psammophile plant-societies of the 

 Mediteri-anean from the corresponding ones of the North Sea, the fact that a much larger number of species 

 is densely tomentose. In Cyprus I found this feature very striking; in addition to Medicayo marina which 

 has been spoken of above, the following are to be mentioned among the species that are whitish or 

 yellowish tomentose: Neurada proeumhens, Verhascum siniiatum. Plantayo Layapiis. Gnaphcdium hiteoalhum, 

 Helichrysum nipicohim subsp. hrachypthylhcm. Antltemis tricolor and Diotis maritima. A great numbei' of 

 the sand plants are annual herbs terminating their development in a short time in early spring or in the 

 beginning of the summer; when the dry season comes they have faded away already. Comparatively many 

 species have rosulate leaves at the base; one of these. Brasma Toiirnefortii. growing abundantly in the 

 sandy fields near Hagia Napa, had its leaves so firmly impressed towards the soil that, if the root of tiie 

 plant was plucked up, they immediately recoiled like a curved bow. The ecological advantage hereof is 

 not easily understood.") A great deal of the psammophile plants have flaccidly decumbent stems, often 

 more stems on the same root. This is the case both with annual and perennial plants. A type of especial 

 interest is Neurada proeumhens, a plant belonging to the Rosaceae, which I found growing abundantly in 

 the sandy country between Limassol and Amathus, sometimes even in dunes that had not yet left oft' moving. 

 This species is widely extended throughout North Africa and eastwards as far as India, but it is not seen 

 to be anywhere indicated for the islands of the Mediterranean. It is annual, has a decumbent stem and 

 small inconspicuous, yellowishly white flowers; the fruit is disciform, circular or pentagonal; underneath it 

 is even, but above it is supplied with numerous long thorns. The whole plant is densely tomentose.^) The 

 structure of the fruit is so solid that as a rule there are left well preserved rests of the fiiiits of the parent 

 plant fastened to the base of the young plants germinated next year; a circumstance not unfrequently seen 

 is that several individuals have grown out of the same fruit (Pig. 98). From a systematical point of view 

 this plant is also very interesting, forming together with the little South-African genus Grielum the isolated 

 subfamily of Neuradoideae. 



Here we are to give a survey of the most important phanerogamous plants, which constitute the 

 vegetation in the sandy regions of the lower parts of the country. The list is not at any I'ate complete; in 



') Warming, Plantesamfand, p. 211. 



-) Similar curvations are mentioned by Warming in Hypochaeris radicata, Leonforlmi autumnale and Pinguicuhi vul- 

 yaris (Dansk Plantevsext, I, p. 188). 



') Its anatomy is thoroughly described by Ct. Volkens, Flora d. ægypt.-arab. Wiiste, p. 121. 



