Remarks on the most Important Plant-Societies of the Island. 297 



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usually does not assume a height of more than 3 — 5 m., forms without comparison the chief component 

 part of the forest; it often grows so densely that it is difficult to make one's way through the thickets. 

 In company with it the dendriform Ericacea Arbutus Andraehne. is everywhere very numerous. Also this 

 is a very beautiful tree, which in particular looks splendid early in the spring, in March and April, 

 when it is full of white flowers and has brilliant coral-red stems. Now, in June, the flowering was long 

 ago finished, and the stems were just about to throw off' the outer red layer of bark. Still with its fresh, 

 light-green leaves it created a pleasant contrast to the stiff, dark-green foliage of the oak-trees. It 

 attains about the same size as the preceding species. The same is the ease with an Oriental maple-species: 

 Acer oUusifolhtm, which is also very numerous everywhere in this tract. At this season it was full of 

 ripe fruits. Of other flat-leaved trees in the forest at Kykko, Pistaeia Tcrebinthus must be mentioned, 

 growing in scattered specimens in the wood, but which, however, is here of no great importance, and also 

 Laurus nohilis, which especially grows in the lower parts of the mountain-slopes, in places where the soil 

 is not too dry. Now, in the month of June, it had finished its flowering and was full of unripe fruits. 

 Also scattered individuals of Crataegus Azarolus are occasionally found. The pine-trees play quite an 

 infeiior part in the wood surrounding Kykko. Finns halepensis grows in sparse individuals and is especially 

 found on the driest hill-ridges; its dimensions are generally quite small. Locally, for inst. at the brook Platani 

 Vrysi, big and well developed trees, however, are seen. At two places just in the neighbourhood of the 

 Convent grow also some specimens of Cedrus Uhanotiea subsp. hi-evifoUa, viz. on the northern slope of 

 Kykko Vuno and on a low hill-ridge, Pano Vasiliki. On both places the cedar-trees grow scatteredly and 

 openly on steep, slanting hill-sides together with Quercus alnifolia, Plnus halepeyisis, etc In the last- 

 named locality I found in 1905 only one single medium-sized tree besides 30 young specimens. On Kykko 

 Vuno I saw, however, besides young individuals, at least about 50 medium-sized trees with a stem circum- 

 ference of up to 1.5 å 1.7 m. Of shrubs especially Cistus villosus var. creticus is found in great quantities; 

 it constitutes the chief element of the low copses. Together with it grows chiefly Ruhus ulmifolius subsp. 

 anatoVwtis. Rhus Coriaria grows in great abundance, particularly on open slide-flats and in talus. — Of 

 climbing plants especially Lonicera etrusca, Ruhia Olivieri subsp. hrachypoda and Clematis cirrhosa are 

 common ; more scarcely Periploca gracilis occurs, climbing on trees and shrubs. — The most frequent perennial 

 herbs are Astragalus lusitanicus, in great quantity, Pterocephalus multiflorus, very common, Satureia rulgaris, 

 numerous, Asphodelus ramosus (in June nearly quite dried up), numerous, Hclichrysum italicum var. canam, 

 in great quantity, Smyrnium connatum, common, Arahis purpurea, common. Asparagus acutifoUus, sparse, 

 Phytolacca pruinosa, rather scarce. — Of annual herbs there are no doubt a great number; at my visit, 

 however, they were almost completely dried up. Cerastium illyricuni occurs in great quantity; likewise 

 VaUlantia hispida is numerous. — Of ferns Pteridium aquilinum occurs in quantity. 



The forest in the neighbourhood of Kykko has previously been described by the German botanist 

 E. Hartmann.') 



A few words must here be added of two species of trees, which play an important part in the 

 Quercus alnifolia-iorests in many places of the island, but which were not observed in the forest at Kykko. 

 Quercus coccifera, an oak-species with small thorny, evergreen leaves, vastly distributed in the Mediterranean 

 countries, is also very frequent on Cyprus, particularly in the lower and middle regions. It is well-known 

 everywhere by the name of Kipné. It occurs under a series of closely related sub-species and varieties, 

 which are not always easily distinguished. In most cases it does not exceed the dimensions of a shrub 

 or develops into a small and low tree. At times, however, it may be seen with a taller and straighter 

 trunk, as displays the photograph of a tree from below the village of Prodromo (Fig. 123). Unequalled on the 

 whole island is, so far as 1 know, a mighty specimen of Q. coccifera subsp. calliprinos, growing at the 

 old church of Panagia Theosképastos at the village of Kalopanayoti in the valley of Marathassa With its 

 rich crown it wholly overshades the little church; the bi'auches stretch over the church-roof, and the 



') E. Hartmann, Die WaUler tier Insel Cyperu, p. 179. 



