THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
97 
The Botany and Geology of Egypt. 
BY REV. PROFESSOR HEN'S LOW, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S. 
BOTANY. * 
Egypt is conveniently divisible into five regions 
— (1) the Mediterranean, (2) the Nilotic, (3) the 
Oases, (4) the Red Sea Coast, and (5) the Deserts. 
The deserts are sub-dividSd into the Libyan on the 
’.vest of the Nile, the Isthmian on the north-east; 
and the northern and southern halves of the Arab- 
ian, on the east side of the Nile. 
(1) : The Mediterranean coast being intersected 
by lakes and inland waters and salt marshes, plants 
peculiarly characteristc of saline areas find their 
natural habitats here. Thus the order Chenopo- 
diacese, which contains several saline species, are 
well-represented, about two thirds of the species be- 
ing found there — five out of seven species of Tam- 
arix, and all the members of the Frankeniaceee, tec. 
(2) : The Nile delta and valley are areas of culti- 
vation. A number of introduced plants are found 
in these districts, but a peculiar feature which stri- 
kes one is the almost entire freedom from weeds 
amongst the enormous stretches of corn, clover, Ac 
This is probably due to the fact that the land is 
inundated for four months, which would kill any 
seeds left in the ground. With regard to aquatic 
plants, the Nile and artificial canal, as a rule con- 
tain next to none, as the water is always muddy. 
The ditches and irrigating streams have a few, espe- 
cially sedges; but of other plants the few following 
furnish the main supply : Two water-lilies, Nym- 
phace Lotus and cwrulea, four members of Ela- 
tinaceoe, our familiar Epilobiun hit su turn, two 
water-plantains (one being the British Aiisma 
Plata go), a species of Eamasonium, five of our 
Engi ish pond-weeds and Ruppia maritima, five I 
species of Naias, four duck- weeds and one bull-rush 
Typha angustata; the ancient Papyrus Autiquo- 
rum being now extinct 
Nos. 3 and 4, are limited floras, and call for no 
special observation. 
(5): The most interesting parts of the Egyptian 
flora are undoubtedly the plants of the deserts, in 
that they shew most remarkable adaptions to meet 
the extreme difficulties of their environment, in 
maintaining their existence against the intense heat, 
light and drought during ten months in the year. 
* Abstract of lecture deli vered before the Society. 
As to the general character of the deserts, the 
appearance consists of a chaotic confusion of low 
hills and rock masses, with deeply-cut ravines 
(wadys) and valleys, resembling the numerous 
ramifications of streams, though now without wa- 
ter. They divide and rejoin, cutting up the desert 
into a landscape of wild confusion. 
The vegetation is solely confined to the depress- 
ions in which water has flowed during the short 
rainy season. The year has two periods, February 
and March during which months rain falls, and 
the dry season lasting for the other ten months, 
during which time the vegetation has to depend 
to a very great extent upon dew for moisture. 
At the end of January, a thick mist ushers in the 
rainy period, when the knotty stumps and bushes 
begin to put on their foliage, and young plants and 
annuals sprout up everywhere. From the beginning 
of May it all disappears, the annuals perish, and out 
of thousands of individual seedlings perhaps two 
per cent succeed in establishing themselves. There 
is no struggle for existence amongst the plants 
themselves — that is, between one another — but 
solely with their physical environment. 
The general features of the perennials are gnar- 
led and stunted stems of great hardness, and freq- 
uently spinescent. The leaves are very small and 
densely hairy, though some few are glabrous, thick 
and succulent. The surface is frequently coated 
with a waxy secretion. The thick coating of hair, 
and the glaucous hue due to the wax, conveys a 
blue-grey tint to the desert plants instead of the 
familiar green of our customary English flora. 
A peculiarity, apparently in direct connection with 
the climate, is that certain individuals of normally 
annual duration may become biennials, and peren- 
nials, if their roots happen to run deep enough so as 
to be able to store up sufficient water to maintain 
the lower part of the stem alive; thus heliotropes 
usually after fruiting, but they may form coral-like 
roots if they go deep enough, which survive the 
summer: the excrescence being a sort of hypertro- 
phied cortical tissue which acts as a reservoir. 
On the other hand, perennials may perish at the 
end of the first year, if the local water supply be 
insufficient. 
Each organ has some special adaptation to resist 
the difficulties of. growth. First, with regard to 
roots. The first noticeable feature is their relative. 
