Along the banks of the Sisti-kem about Tshebertash there appear larches of a 

 lighter green, constantly increasing in number southwards, until they are seen to predo- 

 minate in the Devonian territory, over large tracts of land, even mostly quite pure. The 

 larches here are frequently large and vigorous, attaining a height of 25—30 m., measuring 

 towards 1 — 2 m. in diameter at a man's height. Associated with the larch there also 

 appear some other plants, of which may especially be mentioned: 



Sediim purpureiim, Geniiana Amarella, Coloneaster melanocarpa, Scorzonera 

 austriaca, Geniiana detonsa, Poteniilla chrysantha var. asiatica, and others. 



Fig. 51. From the transition zone between tlie taiga and the wooded steppe region. The Sisti- 



liem valley about 800 m. above sea-level. 



Along the banks and in thickets the characteristic arbuscular plants here were 

 represented by Prunus Padus, Sorbus Aucuparia, Alnus fruticosa, Ribes pubescens, Ribes 

 nigrum, Atragene sibirica, and in sand along the river-banks Dianthus superbus and 

 Epilobium latifolium are frequent. 



The lower parts of the river basin thus chiefly contain larch-wood with smaller 

 steppe areas. This is the genuine wood-steppes, dry open areas with scattered open larch- 

 forest, (and sometimes pine) intermixed with various foliferous trees. Already at Ust 

 Sisti-kem the climate is rather dry, which is also apparent from the great number of 

 locusts to be found here. Among conifers the larch predominates, but in more 



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