232 ABSENCE OF ALPINE PLANTS. ch. ix. 



six of the common species of Northern Europe ; and lower 

 down, in the middle part of the valley, we were able to 

 add to our lists but two southern forms. 



About one-third only of the species found in the upper 

 region could be described as properly belonging to the 

 Mediterranean flora ; most of these being widely-spread 

 plants, while a few are exclusively confined to the nearest 

 neighbouring mountain regions — the Lesser Atlas of Al- 

 geria or the mountains of Southern Spain. But there 

 was little in the general aspect of the vegetation to sug- 

 gest any special connection with either; and several of the 

 conspicuous plants have been hitherto known only in very 

 distant regions. A bright-flowered Veronica appeared to 

 be no more than a large variety of a species peculiar to 

 Asia Minor; Medicago suffrutioosa had hitherto been 

 seen only in the Pyrenees ; and Evax Heldreichii had 

 been detected nowhere nearer than the mountains of 

 Sicily and Eastern Algeria. Om- original expectation of 

 finding some connecting links between the special flora of 

 the Canary Islands and that of North Africa was so far 

 completely negatived, and we saw nothing to suggest their 

 existence. 



The most prominent characteristics of the mountain 

 flora of the Great Atlas were found to be of a negative 

 character. If asked to point out the positive features that 

 most struck us, we should in the first place note the 

 prevalence of Cruciferoe and Caryophyllece, the former 

 reckoning one-ninth and the latter one-tenth of the whole 

 number of flowering plants. Of conspicuous genera we 

 had especially remarked Chrysanthemum, Galium, and 

 Linaria. Of the first of these we found two new species, 

 one of which, from its remarkable buff-coloured rays and 

 large scarious involucres, has been named Chrysanthe- 

 mum Catananche. 



The state of the weather and the earliness of the season 

 may partially account for the scarcity of animal life in 

 the upper part of the Ait Mesan valley ; but, from all we 



