-11- The beech is the single dominant tree, but we see also an admix- ture of Ulmus elliptica, Tilia caucasica, Alnus barbata, and in even less amounts, Carpinus caucasica, Acer platanoides; here and there the dark narrow crowns of Taxus baccata at approximately 450 to 600 m are distinguished against the monotonous green back- ground. One of the old yews grows near the road at 580 m elevation. Its trunk, several meters in circumference, is impressive in spi t e of the fact that the crown has broken limbs. On the other side of the road, one can see a second beautiful specimen, but, gene- ra lly speaking, the yew does not form pure stands in Adjaria. It is not widely distributed, although it can be found in many gor- ges at elevations not exceeding 1200 to 1600 m. At the beginning of our route the beech forest has the same rhododendron understorey as the woods located lower down. In clear- ings the rhododendron is replaced by dense thickets of rodshaped Vaccinium arctostaphylos taller than a man. Ruscus hypophyllum is common at the edges of the thickets. Beginning at an elevation of 600 to 800 m, one can see Rho- dodendron ungernii with its leaves white tomentose beneath, and its flowers usually white with green spots under one of the lobes. It does not extend farther north than Adjaria, but it is distri- buted in the upper and lower reaches of the rivers of West Adja- ria; in the south it ends in Turkish Lazistan. In the narrow shady gorges of Mt. Mtirala, it is also tree-like with sprawling trunks. In this district one can find a form with a rose-coloured corolla, even bright rose sometimes, and this may be explained by possible hybridization with Rhododendron ponticum, and by no means with R. smirnowii which is found only in the districts bor- dering upon Turkey and grows there in beech and beech-spruce fo- rests. At an elevation of some 1000 m above sea-level, within the limits of the highest frequency of Rhododendron ungernii, indivi- dual trees of Picea orientalis appear, and at the same places one often finds a deciduous undergrowth composed of Vaccinium arcto- staphylos, Viburnum orientale, and Rhododendron luteum. The her- baceous cover becomes richer in ferns such as Dryopteris mediter-