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



309 



\ 



, 3v- ,1 1 j 





closely together than those of the Aleppo Pine. The Caramanian Pine is at the present time limited to 

 the most elevated and central parts of the Troodos-mountains. When we follow the high-road fiom 

 Platraes to the summer-quarter of the Government, we see the first specimens of the Caramanian Pine 

 in the forest immediately above Pauo Platraes. It is not till about half-way up to the Government 

 Cottage, however, that it becomes predominant in the foi'cst, but soon afterwards it completely supersedes 

 the former species. The area where the Caramanian Pine forms the forest, stretches towards north 

 and west a short distance past Prodromo, towards 

 east quite near the fountain of Khryso Vrysi. Scat- 

 tered specimens are found still farther towards east, 

 in forests consisting for the rest of Aleppo Pines, 

 to the vicinity of the village of Kyperunda. E. 

 Haktmann ') as well as the present writer have 

 found occasional trees as far east as on the western 

 slope of Adelphi; it does not, however, agree with 

 the present conditions, when Ungee states, that 

 this pine-species covers the more elevated parts of 

 that mountain and even of the Makhaeras-mountains 

 situated still farther to the east.^j I have examined 

 the very greatest part of this mountain-ridge and 

 found that the forests in most instances consist of 

 bushy Qticrcus ulnifoUa. in part mixed with Pistacia 

 Terehinthus, Arimtas Andmchne, Juniiierus foeti- 

 dissmna and various othei' tree-species; pines arc 

 often seen amongst the other trees mentioned here, 

 but so far as my observations go, exclusively F. 

 halepensis subsp. brutia. 



In the forest above Prodromo and in the 

 neighbourhood of the government-buildings on Troo- 

 dos numerous large and fine Caramanian Pines occur. 

 The trunks measure, breasthigh, often from 2 to 3 m. 

 in circumference, and in some cases up to 4 m. In 

 many places fresh young wood grows forth. Uncjei! 



has mentioned moie closely how, before the British occupation, tai' was produced by making up fire at the 

 foot of the old pines, while they were still on roots, and we still meet in the forest numerous trees with 

 large burns from this barbarous treatment now fortunately ceased (Fig. 132). At Prodromo I examined the 

 age of a stem shortly felled, the circumference of which was ca. 1.2.5 m. ; it had ca 16.5 circles. 



The pines grow, as a rule, rather openly, so that the rays of the sun may fi-eely penetrate to the 

 veiy soil of the forest. 



( )f other tree-species or larger shrubs not many are represented in the forests constituted by the 

 Caramanian Pine. The most important is a juniper-species, Junipcrus foetidissima, which as /. phoenicea 

 has small scale-like leaves, but which in contrast to the latter develops into a mighty tree with a richly 

 branched crown; the trunks measure often breasthigh 2 — 3 m. in circumference. At Pasha Livadia near 

 the camp on Trodos, where J. foetidissima is especially luxuriantly developed, I have seen a tree, the 

 stem of which, breasthigh, measured 4.56 m. in circumference. In the forest this juniper-species is rather 

 frequent, and on Chionistra it reaches as far as the tree-border. J. Oxycedrus subsp. rufescens, which 



^^' 



Flo-. Ki5 Br;iiicli of Piiiu 



vdhthnra Tei-.s. (■••/„). 



*) E. Hartmann, Die Wiilder der Insel ('yperu, \t. 173. 

 ^) Unoer u. Kotschy, Die lusel Cypern, p. 112. 



