
          -22-

with each area distinguished by one or two colonial dominants.  The
moist or watery bottomlands, where ungrazed, have deep, dense, heavy
cushions of succulent blades, while the better drained margins may
have dense turf-like cover, or bunch grass spotting the turf.  In the 
margins the slope grasses mingle with those of the meadow proper and
the composition is rich and varied.

Among the most prevailing grasses of these highland meadows
are Hordeum 15447 (230255), photo   , several species each of
Alopecurus, Andropogon, Glyceria, Festuca, Elymus, and many others.
The more common legume associates consist of Trifolium pratense,
T. repens, and others.  Less abundant are species of Medicago and
Trigonella, some of which are rare and insignificant as forage elements.

Extensive meadow grasslands extend down through the high valleys
of the Zagros range of western Iran.  They were visited in four
principle areas of Kurang, Charmahal, Semiron, and Kowkun, but in
all of them the pastures were completely cut or gnawed down by seedimg
time.  These are the historical summer grazing lands of the nomadic
tribes of Lur, Bahktiari, Goshkai-i, and Goshkuly respectively.

Except for the meadow land species, and the tolerated weeds
of the grain fields, the palatable legumes of Iran are very scarce.
They appear to exist only as rare survivors in a land long over-grazed.
Two wild Vicia are of special interest, Vicia monantha of the Zagros
mountains of Charmahal and Vicia 15435 (229550) of Kuhe Sahand.  The
former was found upon limestone at 10,000 to 11,000 feet elevations,
where snow lies for a large portion of the year.  It is a deep rooted
polypodial perennial forming a bush 8-10 dm. tall, at first densely
        