— 27 - 



large expanse at the north-east end of the Caspian Sea, but 

 smaller stretches ai'c found interspersed in other territories. 

 The surface is a perfectly level plain covered with innu- 

 merable salt-lakes with here and there sand-hills. The soil 

 is a compact clay often hard as stone, or loose marl with 

 a mixture of chalk, permeated to a considerable depth with 

 salts. 



The vegetation is exceedingly poor and uniform. Out 

 of 170 species, characteristic for the salt-deserts, 63 are 

 Chenopodiaceae , 17 per ct. are trees or shrubs (a very high 

 proportion); perennials and biennials are to annuals as 1 : I,;.. 

 In spite of uniformity, the physiognomy of the ever- 

 green salt-swamps has a much less desolate appearance than 

 the clay-deserts. 



"Here (in the salt-deserts) the vegetation tries, as it 

 were, to make up for uniformity by its characteristic forms 

 and by constant freshness and unusual tints. Enormous 

 salt-swamps, pale green during the spring, turn by degrees 

 yellowish and finally light-yellow, as the burning heat comes 

 on, and again during the early days of autumn the colours 

 turn to pink, scarlet and purple. Simultaneously the young 

 green of the new branches shows forth and the four colours 

 blend in the most charming way. It is difficult to imagine 

 the effect of such a picture especially at sunrise or sunset, 

 and one must see it to realize its beauty.'' 

 The salt-deserts contain: — 



7,68 per ct of the Ranunculaceae of the whole area 



10,84 — » — Cruciferae — » — 



7,68 — » — Papilionaceae — » — 



8,4 — » — Compositae — » — 



58,3 — » — Salsolaceae — » — 



3,7 — » — Cyperaceae — » — 



16 — » — Gramineae — » — 



It will be seen that the Salsolaceae predominate here. 



BoRszczow gives as the most common amongst them; 

 Ceratocarpus arenariiis, Kalidiiim foliatum, K. arabicum, Halocne- 

 mum strobilaceum, Salicornia herbacea, Schoberia (Suaeda) 



