Of shrubs, below the rank of trees, the most important are the lentisk
(_Pistachia lentiscus_), the bay, the arbutus (_A. andrachne_), the
cypress, the oleander, the myrtle, the juniper, the barberry, the styrax
(_S. officinalis_), the rhododendron, the bramble, the caper plant, the
small-leaved holly, the prickly pear, the honeysuckle, and the jasmine.
Myrtle and rhododendron grow luxuriantly on the flanks of Bargylus, and
are more plentiful than any other shrubs in that region.[233] Eastern
Lebanon has abundant scrub of juniper and barberry;[234] while on the
western slopes their place is taken by the bramble, the myrtle, and the
clematis.[235] The lentisk, which rarely exceeds the size of a low
bush, is conspicuous by its dark evergreen leaves and numerous small red
berries;[236] the arbutus--not our species, but a far lighter and more
ornamental shrub, the _Arbutus andrachne_--bears also a bright red
fruit, which colours the thickets;[237] the styrax, famous for yielding
the gum storax of commerce, grows towards the east end of Carmel, and is
a very large bush branching from the ground, but never assuming the
form of a tree; it has small downy leaves, white flowers like orange
blossoms, and round yellow fruit, pendulous from slender stalks, like
cherries.[238] Travellers in Phoenicia do not often mention the caper
plant, but it was seen by Canon Tristram hanging from the fissures
of the rock, in the cleft of the Litany,[239] amid myrtle and bay and
clematis. The small-leaved holly was noticed by Mr. Walpole on the
western flank of Bargylus.[240] The prickly pear is not a native
of Asia, but has been introduced from the New World. It has readily
acclimatised itself, and is very generally employed, in Phoenicia, as in
the neighbouring countries, for hedges.[241]

The fruit-trees of Phoenicia are numerous, and grow most luxuriantly,
but the majority have no doubt been introduced from other countries,
and the time of their introduction is uncertain. Five, however, may be