20 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 



At the monastery, or near it, were Bapleurum linearifolium, D.C., 

 var. Schimperianum, Boiss., Carttm sp. ? ,• Pterocephalus sanctus, Dene. ; 

 Veronica syriaca, J. et S. (introduced) ; and Celsia and Anarrhinum 

 already mentioned. Salix safsaf, Forsk., occurs here. During the 

 ascent most of the labiates and the hawthorn of Mount Sinai were met 

 with ; but this mountain wore a far more wintry aspect than its lower 

 neighbour. A lack of running water renders it at all seasons more barren. 

 At the spring Mayan esh Shunnar, ' fountain of the partridge,' I made 

 another little gathering of mosses, in all from the two mountains ten 

 species, i.e. : Grimmia apocarpa, Linn. ; G. leucophcBa, Grev. ; Gymnosto- 

 mum rupestre, SchwcBg. ; G. verticillatum ; Toriula inermis, Mont. ; 

 Eucalypta vulgaris, Hedw. ; Entosthodon templeloni, Schwmg. ; Bryum 

 turbinahim, Hedw. ; Hypnum vehitinu-m, Linn. ; H. ruscifolium, Neck. 

 These are all British species, with the exception of Tortula inermis, which 

 occurs also on the Morocco mountain ac 8,000 to 10,000 feet, and no doubt 

 elsewhere round the Mediterranean. One only in the list, Gymnostomtim 

 rupestre, is sub-alpine in Great Britain. There are two other mosses also; 

 common British species, recorded from Mount Sinai by Decaisne. 



The remainder of the ascent was over barren and perfectly unvegetated 

 rock. Nevertheless, within a few hundred feet of the summit I was 

 rewarded by finding the exquisite little Colchicum Steveni, ? Kth., of a 

 delicate pale lilac colour, sometimes white. It had no leaves, and bore 

 either one, two, or three flowers on the scape ; usually only one. It 

 occurred again on the extreme summit, and I secured several bulbs. 

 Colchicum Steveni was gathered afterwards on Mount Hor, where the 

 flowers were very decidedly smaller. The Jebel Katharina plant may 

 prove to be specifically distinct. This Colchicum has been recorded from 

 the Palestine coast as far south as Joppa. 



On the summit there was hardly any life. I obtained Buffonia 

 multiceps, Dene, ; Arenaria graveolens, Sck. ; Herniaria, sp. ? {^H. 

 hemistemon ?) ; Gypsophila hirsuta, Led. ; and G. alpina, Boiss., and 

 fragments of an Astragal, perhaps A. echinus, D.C. On the ascent I 

 gathered the root and leaves of a sedge looking like C. distans, Linn. 



The summit of Jebel Katharina, 8,536 feet, the highest in the penin- 

 sula, was very cold, barely above freezing-point. Its mean annual 

 temperature would perhaps about correspond with that of Edinburgh, 



