'IRAQ AND THE PERSIAN GULF' [‎137v] (279/862)

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IQO CLIMATE, VEGETATION, AND FAUNA
creeks, a rich community of familiar annuals may be seen, including
geraniums, vetches, spurges, pimpernels, and speedwells. In the
water of these creeks the flowers of mare’s tail and frog-bit rise in
April. In the palm-groves themselves there is often a thick under
growth of the sticky-leaved liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), a tall peren
nial herb with bluish-violet flowers and short flat pods. The camel
thorn {Alhagi maurorwn) also sometimes intrudes into the groves,
although, generally speaking, it is a plant of poorer soils.
The Marshlands and River Banks (photos. 5, 6, 17)
Between Basra and Baghdad many square miles of marshland are
occupied by dense communities of a perennial grass, Phragmitis com
munis and a bulrush, Typha angustata. Both grow up to 10 feet in
height and form dense thickets. When young they constitute useful
fodder, and the marsh Arabs are accustomed to burn down large
areas every season in order to encourage the growth of young shoots.
At certain places along the rivers, occurring in small belts, are found
the Euphrates poplar {Popidus euphratica) and a willow {Salix acmo-
phylla). Another willow, S. alba, is less common. They are seen
generally on islands and at curves and bends of the river, more fre
quently on the Euphrates than on the Tigris. The willow is less
common than the poplar, but is found farther south. The poplar
grows at a great pace and assumes a curious twisted, crooked habit
after the fourth year of growth. The thick grey-green leaves are fre
quently of two kinds—narrow willow-shaped leaves on young shoots
near the base, and broad leaves of the usual poplar type on the higher
branches. The tree is often infested with a parasitic dodder (Cuscuta
monogynd), a flowering plant whose pale fleshy stems form tangled
skeins among the branches. The wood of the poplar, when mature,
can be used for planking and boat building; that of the willow is soft
and of little value. Neither provides very good fuel. Both trees cop
pice vigorously when cut, and although they are both capable of
growing to a great size, they rarely do so, owing to the Arab’s habit
of continually hacking at them.
As an undergrowth in these riverain thickets, in addition to numer
ous annuals, grasses, and sedges, there often occur species of tamarisk
{Tamarixpentandra and T. Meyeri) and the shrubby Prosopis Stepha-
niana. The latter plant, a member of the pea family, is a loose strag
gling thorny shrub with little spikes of cream-coloured flowers,
reddish-brown swollen pods, and small leaflets. It is extremely
common everywhere in the cultivated riverain areas of lower Iraq, as