x. Brief Survey of the Affinities and History of the Cyprian Flora. 



Cyprus is situated between the three continents, Asia, Eui'ope and Africa, and in the vegetation 

 of the island it is easy to trace certain features, indicating connections with each of these parts of the 

 world. The vegetation is of a marived Mediterranean character, the plant-societies as well as the majority 

 of the individual species being the same as those usually met with in the countries situated around the 

 eastern part of the Mediterranean. The concspondence is greatest with the tracts situated nearest on the 

 Asiatic continent. "T^a flore de Chypre est une selection entre les plantes de Syrie, de Cilicie et de 



Fig. 140. Tlie chief Currents of the Mediterranean. (After J. X. Nielsen, \U\:i). 



Pamphylie" says an eminent authority on Oi'iental plants, G. E. Post; especially he points out that 

 the vegetation of Messaria almost fully corresponds with that of the marilime plains of Syria'). 



Least prominent is the correspondence with the vegetation on the North- African coast. In reality 

 it is not greater than allowing its being explained, at any rate in most instances, by the ti'ansport of seeds 

 across the sea. In this connection may be mentioned that the most important sea-curi'ent in the eastern 

 Mediterranean goes eastwards along the coast of Tripoli and Egypt, turns hence northwards along the 

 Syrian coast, passes Cyprus, and continues westwards along the southern coast of Asia-Minor (Fig. 140). 

 Except on the sea-shores and in the salt-water-marshes along the coasts, scarcely a plant is found on 

 Cyprus which it is quite necessary to consider as being immigrated from North-Africa without the inter- 

 ference of man. As an instance of a plant, which must in all probability be supposed to have immigrated 

 across the ocean from the south, may be mentioned the little yellow-flowered composit, Chlaniijdoiihora 



1) G. E. Post et E. Authan, Plantæ Postianæ, Fase. IX, p. 147 (Bull, de I'Herli. Boiss. Vol. VII,'_1899). 



