NORTH-WEST MONGOLIA AND CHINESE DZCNGARIA. 389 



Primula and Trollius appeared as soon as the snow had gone, but in July the 

 sliady forest association began to creep in and apparently constituted a large 

 portion oi: tbe vegetation during the autumn. 



On the Upper Shabash River forests of Plnut; slliirlni with a variety of 

 Ahius Alnohetula grew in dense jungles on the shady siih'S of the valley. 

 "On the valley sides facing the sun, however, the mountain slopes were covered 

 principally with scrub of Birch, Aspen, and Poplar, accompanied by a vigorous 

 flora of Euplioiina Ixtesreii^-, Ptt'onia aiiomala, and Aconitum .leptenti'ionale. 

 Relics of old forests of Funis sUiinca and AJiiex dhiiica were to be seen in 

 places. Large logs of these trees littered the mountain-sides up to 4000 feet, 

 and there was considerable evidence that the Pine forest had been replaced 

 bv a broad-leaved forest within comparatively recent times. 



(Jn the Ulug Tag mountain, an isolated peak between the watershed of the 

 fsliabash and Japsa Rivers, I oljserved the following floral zones typical of 

 the ^ayansk system, beginning from the valley bottom upwards. 



Zone 1. In the valley bottoms at jOOO feet Larch-forest association pre- 

 dominated, containing Potentilla fi'ut'fofn^ Betula lurmi, Lari.r sildrica, and 

 En/thronium Dens-ranis. Pr^/throniion T>ens-canis is of considerable interest, 

 since its roots and tuliers are used during the summer as food ]>y the nomad 

 tribes of Urian Hai or Soiots, who wander with reindeer all over these forests. 

 The root is dried in the sun, and eaten with reindeer's milk. 



Zone 2, at 4000 feet, consisted of thick forests of Piuus silarica and Picea 

 ■ ohovata accompanied by Vacfiniiim Vitis-Ichia and Sphagnum. 



Zone 3 began at a height of 4.")00 feet and consisted of Pimis siliirica and 

 Allies sihirica in a creeping form. 



Zone 4, between 4500 and ;3;j0<l feet, consisted of scrub-like Piims sihirica 

 and a widespread distribution of Rlwdodeialron clrri/santhiim. 



Zone 5, from 5500 to -SOOO feet (the mountain summit), containing only 

 -Betula nana in a creeping and very stunted form. 



Descending the Shabash River from its source, we traversed for a day 

 forests of Pinus sihirica with its attending flora. Halfway between its source 

 :and its junction with the Bei Kem River, Larch forest with its floral 

 association began. In this typical forest of Larix sUirica the trees grew 

 from 10 to 12 feet apart, running from 3 to C feet in girth, and averaging 

 about 75 feet in height. Tlie ground flora here was typical of the Larch- 

 forest association throughout the Upper Yenisei plateau and consisted of 

 Spiriva, Euplwrhia lutescens, Poh/gojium poh/morj/hinn, Dracoceplialum 

 Ruyschiana, Veronica longifolia, Bupleurum longifolimn var. aureum, Poten- 

 tilla nivea, Myosotis palustris, Acldllca impatiens, Aster alpinus, Galium 

 horeale, Valeriana samhvcifolia, Trifolium Lupinaster, Sanguisorha officinale, 

 Oxytropis sp., Poa altaica, Phyllodoce taxifolia, Rosa aclcularis, Vaccinium 

 Mliginoswn, Lonicera cwridea, Pedicularis uncinata, Aconitum septentrionale. 

 A few areas of Pinus syhestris were to be seen growing on sandy baidvs by 



-LINK. .30-UllN. — BOTANY, VOL. XLI. 2 <; 



