The first representatives of the cedar forest were encountered as
stragglers in the dry wash at the north base of the mountain on
which the forest is situated. In part these trees were shapely, with
a taper summit, and in part they were short, with a summit broad
and flat, in effect like an inverted cone. When the main forest
was entered the trees were mainly of the type first characterized,
with widely reaching lower branches and slender summits. In exposed
places or in older parts of the forest the trees of the second type
were often seen; and on the crest of the mountain the most bizarre
shapes (induced by wind action), the trunks nearly parallel to the
ground and the branches hugging the ground. In the upper portion of
the forest the trees were more widely separated than in the lower
portion, and here and there we met with really large specimens, which
must have been very ancient. One of the large trees had a bole which
1 meter above the ground was about 5 meters in circumference. The
trees were fruiting freely, but we did not see many seedlings. Why,
was not apparent. There were no indications that fires had swept
over the mountain recently.
=THE HIGH PLATEAU.=
The vegetation of the High Plateau, taken as a whole, is sparse, due
in part to rather light annual precipitation, but largely to the lack
of efficient drainage, for which reason large areas are so heavily
charged with salts as to be inimical to most plants. Halophytes
form an important element in the flora of this region. In the most
intense salt areas no plants are to be found at any season. Along
the oueds such shrubs as species of _Tamarix_ and _Zizyphus_ occur,
and juniper may be seen in the more elevated places, such as near
Guelt-es-Stel or further toward Djelfa.
The route followed across the High Plateau ran from Boghari to Ain
Ossera, Guelt-es-Stel, and Djelfa, which is in the midst of the
Saharan Atlas, and from thence to Laghouat.
=BOGHARI TO LAGHOUAT.=
Boghari, situated at the place where the Oued Chelif, having come
across the High Plateau, enters the Tellian Atlas on its way through
them to the Mediterranean, lies on the northern edge of the High
Plateau and in what appears to be a fairly arid region. The oued
at this place is rather narrow and has low banks. In its bed,
in October, were a few pools of water. On either side is the
flood-plain of the oued, several meters in width, sometimes partly
under cultivation. Tilled fields are to be seen to the west and
not far from the town. From the low mountains immediately to the
west of the town the steppes stretch unbroken (save by low hills)
to mountains bounding the southern horizon, possibly 100 miles
straight away. The mountains are the Dj. Sahari, the Saharan Atlas,
beyond which lies the desert.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account