'IRAQ AND THE PERSIAN GULF' [‎134r] (272/862)

VEGETATION 185
ephemerals. They suffer severely in seasons of exceptionally low
rainfall, and may then never attain the fruiting condition.
The second type of annuals are those whose life-cycle is not com
pleted during the rainy season but continues into the first few months
of summer. Growth is most rapid during the rains, while flowering
and fruiting takes place usually a month or more later. These annuals
always exhibit some degree of xerophytism, although the full develop
ment of this characteristic is not usually displayed until the approach
of dry conditions.
Perennials, which normally persist from year to year, may also be
divided into two groups. The first group is biologically analogous to
the ephemerals since they come above ground only in the rainy
season. They remain underground in the summer in the form of
bulbs, corms, rhizomes, &c.—structures which store food reserves
and at the same time develop regeneration buds for the next season’s
growth. Thus they shun the drought and, like the ephemerals, are
mostly mesophytic. The second group includes various perennial
herbs and dwarf shrubs which pass an active existence during the
first part of the dry season, but whose aerial parts eventually succumb
to the fierce heat of summer. These all show distinct xerophytic
adaptations to dry conditions and regenerate each season from buds
produced above ground on the remains of old branches.
Botanical Divisions
Iraq may conveniently be divided into the following botanical
areas:
1. Syrian desert.
2. River banks, marshes, and canals.
3. Mesopotamian plains.
4. Assyrian plains and Kurdish foothills.
5. Kurdish mountains.
They are best described in this order, which illustrates the change
from desert to mountain vegetation. 1
1. Syrian Desert
West and south of the Euphrates is part of the Syrian desert, which
extends over the adjacent territories of Syria, Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan , and
Saudi Arabia, bordering the ‘fertile crescent’. Much of it is barren
and forbidding for the greater part of the year. Summer tempera
tures are high and water is very limited. The desert south of Basra,
though near the head of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , receives only 5-5 inches of