118 “FORESTRY OF NORWAY. 
are oak, horse-chestnut, elm, maple, pine, yew; hazel 
growing to a large tree, and many others. At about 
11,500 feet the forest ends, picea, webbiana, and betula 
bhojpatira, being usually the last trees. Shrubs continué 
in abundance for about 1000 feet more; and about 12,000 
feet the vegetation becomes almost entirely herbaceous. 
On this southern face of the mountains the snow-lne is 
probably at about an elevation of 15,500 feet. The high 
est dicotyledonous plant noticed was at about 17,500 feet, 
probably a species of echinospermum. A urtica also is 
common at these heights. The snow-line here recedes to 
18,500 or 19,000 feet. In Tibet itself the vegetation is 
- scanty in the extreme, consisting chiefly of caragana, 
species. of artemisia, astragalus, potentilla, a few gramines, 
&c. The cultivation of barley extends to 14,000 feet. 
‘Turnips-and radishes on rare occasions are cultivated at 
nearly 16,000 feet. Vegetation ends at about 17,500 feet, 
scanty pasturage being found in favoured localities at this 
elevation ; and the highest flowering plants are corydalis, 
cruciferse, nepeta, sedum, and a few others.’ 
‘If we examine the vegetation of the mountains of Europe 
we shall find, says Balfour, ‘a series of similar changes. In 
the regions of the plains and lower hills of the Alps, extend- 
ing to 1,700 feet, the vine grows; to this succeeds the zone 
of chestnuts, which extends to 2500 feet; the zone of the 
beech, and of the higher dicotyledonous trees, reaches 
from 2,500 to 4000 feet ; we then come to the sub-alpine 
region, the zone of conifers, extending to about 6000 feet, 
in which are found the Scotch fir, the spruce, the larch, 
and the Siberian pine, along with certain sub-alpine forms 
of herbaceous plants ; next comes the alpine region, or the 
zone of shrubs, extending to 7000 feet, characterised by 
rhododendron hirsutum and R. ferrugineum, which repre- 
sent the bejarias of the Andes; finally, we reach the sub- 
nival region, extending to 8,500 feet, and comprehending 
the part between the limits of shrubs and the snow-line, 
where we meet with numerous species of ranunculus, 
