a type of vegetation consisting of low xeromorphic shrubs, subshrubs, and some grasses (among which are many ephemers) widely found in the Mediterranean region. Frigana is analogous to the garigue of southern France and the tomillare of Spain. It grows on rocky ground, mainly in cleared forests, as the result of overgrazing. The vegetation is characterized by plants containing large amounts of essential oils, for example, species of Labiatae, Cistaceae, Rutaceae, and Artemisia. There are a few poisonous plants, for example, species of Euphorbia, and several thorny plants, including species of Compositae and Astragalus. In the USSR the “mountain xerophytic” vegetation of the Caucasus (mainly in Dagestan and Armenia) and Middle Asia (including the Kopetdag) is similar to frigana.