^5° AN ANALYSIS OF THE FLORA OF SINAL 



graveolens) may be quoted as the only high-mountain plants of South- 

 eastern Europe which have found their way to Sinai. From the Nubian 

 and Abyssinian mountains we have Colutea, Gaillonia, Otostegia, and a 

 Micromeria ; while from east and north-east, chiefly in Persia, we meet 

 with such genera as Roemeria, Deverra, Zozimia, Arnebia, Alkanna, 

 Echinospermum, and Paracaryum, and a number of showy labiates and 

 scrophulariaceous species which often have here their western limit. 



The Cryptogamic vegetation of Sinai is of a very widespread descrip- 

 tion, as is usually the case with these forms of life. The ferns maiden- 

 hair, Cheilanthus, and Nothochlcena illustrate this, the latter two being 

 included in the list of Sinai plants on the authority of Oliver's appendix 

 to the Ordnance Survey. The maidenhair every traveller has observed. 

 I did not myself meet the other two ferns until reaching Mount Hor, 

 which lies outside the peninsula. The Sinaitic mosses, with one excep- 

 tion, are all British. I refer the reader back to my notes on the spot for 

 further information on this subject. 



In order to obtain a fuller insight into the character of the Sinaitic 

 flora it is necessary to introduce a few geological remarks. 



It is rendered probable by many considerations, as Professor Hull has 

 pointed out, that in recent times a far wetter climate prevailed in Sinai — 

 a condition of things which was probably continuous throughout the 

 glacial period and subsequently. Without evidence on the spot, this 

 might have been deemed probable ; but such evidence is forthcoming, 

 and I refer the reader to Professor Hull's work for fuller information. 



In this period there were large lakes in Sinai ; several of these dried- 

 up basins are very noticeable. Again, during some portion of Pliocene 

 times, and perhaps down to the earliest part of the glacial epoch, Sinai 

 was probably dissevered from Africa, and form-^d part of the Euro- Asiatic 

 continent. Evidence derived from raised beaches and their contents on 

 the shores of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean in several places has, I 

 believe, established this. I would refer the reader here to Issel's ' Malaco- 

 logia del Mar Rosso,' who draws this conclusion from a comparison of the 

 present and sub-fossil shells of the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Thus, 

 whatever flora (probably a more temperate one than the present) the 

 northern parts of Africa supported were cut off at that period from enter- 

 ing Sinai by a direct route. 



