- 6 - vailed here forests of Quercus cerris-fossilis Kolak. and Fagus orientalis Lipsky fossilis. On the Tertiary terraces near Gyul- rripsh a fairly rich Cimmerian flora has revealed. The pebble con- glomerates and sandstone of Pontian - Cimmerian age under the con- ditions of humid, warm-temperate climate of the coast were trans- formed into rather typical yellow, laterite soils. A considerable area of Quaternary terraces is occupied by podzol soils that have a nearly zonal distribution. On these so- ils, heretofore, the forests of Carpinus caucasica prevailed,who- se remaining range we may observe near the village of Abkhazian Atara. Closeby in the lowlands near the seashore, grew forests including Buxus colchica, Carpinus caucasica and Carpinus orien- talis. A rather large tract of such a forest in the district of Skurchi on the left bank of the Kodar River has been proclaimed a reserve. The hornbeam forest on podzol soils stretches on both sides of the road for about 4km; a stop will enable us to get acquainted with a part of this forest. The overstory is dominated by Carpi- nus caucasica about 10 m tall; sometimes we encounter single trees of Fraxinus excelsior, Fagus orientalis, Quercus hartwissi- ana, and Alnus barbata. Of lianas Smilax excelsa, Hedera colchica are common but Periploca graeca occurs less frequently.In the un- derstory at the margin of the forest Rhododendron luteum predomi- nates and Ilex colchica is rather common, as well as the low Rus- cus ponticus; Crataegus microphylla, Viburnum opulus, Sweda aust- ralis are less frequent. The herbaceous cover is absent in the places where the tree stand is dense. In better insolated plots it is sparse and of mi- xed composition, often with an admixture of hydrophilous species: Oplismenus undulatifolius, Microstegium imberbe, Pteridium equi- linum, Polygonum hydropiper, F.minus, Mentha aquatica, ect.In the depressions of microrelief, due to the presence of an ortstein horizon, surface swamping occurs, indicated by cushions of sphag- num mosses and such typical swamp plants as Juncus effusus, J.te- nuis, and Kyllinga gracillima. Beyond the range of hornbeam forest, the road abruptly rises up on the Tertiary terrace. On the bare sites along the road ob-