Nr. 3] SOME VASCULAR PLA NTS FROM SAGHALIN 5 



This locality is bounded on the inner side by a zone of 

 Abies sachalinensis, LarLv sihirica and Betala alba, which form a 

 frontier between it and Ihe mighty swampy fields farther inland. 



II. Swamps and Lagoons. All the swamps in the vicinity 

 of Sakachama are richly overgrown with various Carex and 

 Scirpus spedes, Jiincus and water lihes, the shores having a 

 dense growth of various Carex spedes. In these swamps there 

 are as a rule small hillocks also bearing the above named 

 plants, and here and there dumps of floating mud with no 

 visible vegetation. 



The lagoons occur mostly as isolated pools in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of the sea shore; the banks are high and dry, 

 generally with thickets of Rosa rugosa. Schmidt (1. c. p. 83) 

 considers these lagoons as being old sea bays, whidi have been 

 gradually cut off from the open water by the forming of sand- 

 banks across their mouth. In course of time, the lakes thus 

 formed become overgrown w^th vegetation, forming those swampy 

 hollows just inside the shore whidi are so abundant on the 

 island. The water in these lagoons is dear, and, as a rule, poor 

 in vegetation. 



III. Rivers and S trea ms. The larger rivers, as for in- 

 stance, the Naibutski, flow between high sandy banks, partly 

 begrown with various conifers, such as Larix sibirica and Abies 

 sachalinensis, and with an undergrowth of Empetrum nigrum, 

 Vacciniiim vitis idaea and Myrica gale var. tonientosa; in other parts, 

 the riparian vegetation consists of various foliferous trees, chiefly 

 Ulmas campestris var. laevis, Salix Caprea, Quercas spedes and 

 with and extraordinarily dense undergrowth, chiefly of Urtica, 

 various lilies etc. Some of the plants here often reach the height 

 of a man, and form thus an almost impenetrable wilderness, 

 which renders progress difficult. The vegetation is here so dense, 

 that the sunlight never penetrates to the soil. In such places, 

 moreover, small streams and pools abound, with an luxuriant 

 growth of aquatic plants, at times covering them almost entirely. 



The nature of the streams varles with that of the country 

 around. In the lowlands they are richly overgrown with aquatic 

 plants, such as Carex, and the like; on the banks, many different 

 shrubs abound, of which Betala alba, various Salices and Quercas 

 being most richly represented. On dryer ground, they are gene- 

 rally surrounded by a luxuriant growth of Myrica gale var. 

 tomentosa, single pines (Abies sachalinensis), birch (Betala alba) 

 and larch (Larix sibirica). 



