'IRAQ AND THE PERSIAN GULF' [‎141r] (286/862)

VEGETATION
I 95
densely as to give the land occupied by it the appearance of an im
mense cabbage patch. The species is often associated with Phlomis
Bruguierii, Prosopis, and Cousinia (photo. 77).
In small valleys and open depressions in the neighbourhood of the
foothills a community dominated by asphodel (Asphodelus micro
carpus) is frequently found. It is a tall perennial herb several feet
high with beautiful pinkish flowers, and grows in dense clumps which
may cover three-quarters of the ground surface of the locality. The
spaces between the clumps are occupied by a sward of Poa sinaica, Car ex
stenophylla, Ranunculus asiaticus, and other plants (photos. 34, 78).
The gravel hills of the Bakhtiari formation support a vegetation of
which the dominant plants are two dwarf shrubby milkweeds,
Astragalus spinosus and A. gossypinus. These two species may cover
a quarter to a half of the ground surface. Other plants associated with
them include a sage [Salvia palaestina) with pale mauve flowers;
alkanet (Anchusa strigosa), a bristly herb with bright blue flowers,
and species of flax, thyme, and gypsophila with Phlomis, Cousinia,
and many other species already mentioned. Other localities where
this type of vegetation may be seen include the Kani Domlan hills
between Kirkuk and Altun Kopru and along the Ruwandiz road at
Khanzad pass near Erbil. The bean trefoil [Anagyris foetidd), a legu
minous shrub, up to 6 feet high, with yellowish-green flowers and
long brownish pods, is dominant in one or two localities in the area
between Dohole and Zakho.
5. Kurdish Mountains
Climatic conditions continue to become more favourable for plant
growth as one approaches the Kurdish mountains. The available
water-supply is adequate, while summer temperatures do not soar
quite so high as in the plains. Conditions are almost Mediterranean
in character, and the vegetation becomes modified accordingly. As
in most mountainous areas the vegetation varies with altitude and
may conveniently be classified as follows:
(a) Mountain streams and marshy places (photos. 79-82).
(b) Forest zone (photos. 49, 50, 83).
(c) High mountain zone (photos. 84, 181).
(a) Mountain Streams and Marshy Places. In the lower mountain
valleys, ditches and streams are often completely filled with com
munities of damp-loving plants. Many of these are common species
of the Mediterranean region and are often familiar constituents of
our own British flora. A common community is an association of a