"العراق والخليج الفارسي" [و‎‎١‎٤‎٢] (٨٦٢/٢٨٨)

VEGETATION
and the bean trefoil (Anagyris foetida). A variety of the Aleppo pine
{Finns halepensis) occurs occasionally in the mountains north of Mosul.
It is extremely local in its distribution and is restricted to altitudes of
between 2,500 and 4,000 feet. The ground vegetation is very varied
and rich, especially in areas now occupied by scrub. M^any gaily-
coloured annual and perennial herbs cover the ground, including
several members of the daisy family, such as the ornamental globe
thistle {Echinops viscosus), and thistly Gundelia Tournefortii with
bright orange or reddish-yellow spiny heads, and star thistles {Cen-
taurea spp.). With these also grow gaily-coloured anemones {Ane
mone coronaria), buttercups {Ranunculus myriophyllus), a purplish-
flowered stork’s-bill {Geranium tuberosum), and hosts of others.
Small, almost pure pine-forests have been recorded at Zawita, and
Atrush, in the mountains north of Mosul and east of Dohuk. Asso
ciated with the pine are sometimes found constituents of the oak
forests, such as oaks, juniper, and terebinth, and a number of herba
ceous plants.
(c) High Mountain Zone. The upper limit of the forest zone is in
the neighbourhood of 6,000 feet. Above the tree limit there is some
times a narrow shrubby zone of Daphne acuminata, a plant bearing
cream-coloured flowers and bright red fruits. With it occurs the
globe thistle, spurge {Euphorbia tinctoria), and other species. The
most striking community, however, between 6,000 and 7,000 feet is
the ‘thorn-cushion zone’. The dominant plants of this formation are
low herbs and shrubs which grow in the form of close compact
cushions, sometimes several feet in diameter. They are usually very
spiny, the leaf surface is much reduced, and the whole aspect is very
xerophytic. They are scattered loosely over the somewhat rocky soil
with occasional herbaceous plants in the intervening spaces. Most
of the cushion-plants are either species of milk vetch {Astragalus)
or of Acantholimon, a genus belonging to the thrift family
(Plumbaginaceae).
On the higher rocky mountain slopes herbs, often highly aromatic,
predominate. Among the many species recorded above 8,000 feet
are several ‘everlasting’ helichrysums, with persistent papery yellow
blooms which often smell strongly of curry. Anchonium Tournefortii
is a stock-like plant with yellow sweet-smelling flowers, and Physo-
tychis gnaphalodes is a tufted herb with brilliant aromatic flowers of
the same colour and with curious green bladder-like fruits. Thyme
is represented by Thymus Kotschyanus, a dwarf matted shrub with
pinkish flowers giving out a fragrant perfume. A vetch with white to