— 25 — 



total species (551) are trees and shrubs; the proportion of 

 biennials and perennials to annuals is 1:0,31. 



For each area Borszczow gives statistics which show for 

 a number of families the proportion of species in the given 

 area as compared with the whole country examined bj^ him. 

 After so many years of further research in these countries, 

 his figures must be far from correct, but as they have a 

 certain interest, the figures for a tew selected families are 

 given. In the area of the Stipa Steppe were found: 



57 per ct. of the Ranunculaceae of the whole area. 



The Stipa Steppe is rather monotonous in character and 

 resembles in many ways the steppes of the adjacent western 

 governments. It is by no means always a fertile grass-steppe, 

 more often it is dry, clayey and poor, and the farther south 

 one goes the more frequent do large bare patches of clay 

 become. 



Borszczow distinguishes three floras included in the 

 Stipa Steppe: the grass-steppe, the stone-steppe (Mugodshar 

 and its slopes) and the clay-stone- steppe. This last flora 

 embraces, especially in its southern part, many species char- 

 acteristic of the clay and salt deserts. 



2) The area of the Clay Desert stretches, according 

 to Borszczow, between the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea 

 (Usturt), and again to the north and east of the Aral Sea. 

 The surface is an undulating plain, generally of higher ele- 

 vation than the soil of salt-deserts and moving-sands. The 

 soil consists of pure compact clay and loose or compact 

 clayey or sandy marls. Almost everywhere the soil is per- 

 meated with salts, and salt-swamps are not uncommon. The 

 resemblance to the steppes of southern Russia seen in parts 

 of the Stipa-steppe has disappeared here. The vegetation is 



