continents approach towards each other, and are almost
joined, that most of the plants common to both regions have
been discovered. Borne few have been found in other parts
of America and of the old world ; but, if we abstract from
the number those species which appear to have been transported
by human agency, the number of these common
kinds everywhere diminishes as we approach the southern
regions, where the continents are more widely separated.
Among thé 2891 Phanerogamous species,described by Pursh
as natives of the United States, there are three hundred and
eighty-five which are also found in the northern, . or in the
tèmperate parts o f Europe; and among these there aretse^
veral, as M. de Humboldt has observe d, - which can scare,ply
have been transported by men j as the Satyrium Viride
and Betula NanU. On the other hand, M, Mi de Humboldt
and Bonpland, in their travels in equinoctial America,
found only about twenty-four species which were common
to the new continent and to any part o f the o ld ; and
theste WCre all belonging to monocotyledonous tribes, viz. Gy«
peraeësae and Graminese. The agamous plants, of which,more
numerous spëeiés are common to the two regionsy obe^fbe
same law: the number is greater towards the north than to
th e so u th war d. *
observavit. Ex magno numero stirpium, quas in Amerjc® plaga sequinoctiali,
Bonplandio atque mihi legere contigit, exceptis forsah arbüsculls quibiisdain maritime
», (Rizophora Mangle et AviceniaTomentosa) in herbariis nostris hue usque
ne unam quidem dicotyledonem antiqui orbisoffendiinus, quam consta'rét abi^J£u-
ropeis, post patefactum noyum orbem, non invectam esse.”
, Nos cade, quanquam herbariis dlligentissime comparatis, in Phanerogaffiis
AmericaELffiquinoctialis longe a littore lectis, non nisi jnpnocdtyleSoiieg ; sed earum
ultra 20— 24 glumaceas, nacti sumas.” j
* De Candolle. Diet, des Sciences Naturelles;
“ Rebus his diligentur perpensis patebit, plantas monocotyledones non eidem
legi ac dicotyiedones, subjectas esse, hasque *ofos,.ratione modi quo per va-
rias terras continentes fas® , sint, cum animalibus comparari posse. Nam ne-
que ex quadrupedibus, deque ex avibus animans ulla Hones torridee utriusque orbis
Communis est ;"neque reptileullum, auctore viro Summo Cuviero, dissentientibus
licet herpetologorum pluribus, qui veram Boam Americ® cum Pythone antiqu®
continentis confundunt.”
..«■ Si ex plantis novi orbis longe plurim® peculiares ffli sujit (nam utrique com
tinenti communes ne quadragerimam quideiA p atten Phanerogamarum Americ®
jam ^gn itm u n efficere videmus) necesse es.t, ut nunc inquiramus qua ratiohe-stir-
pes ill®, «pcimdiun effili temperiem, diffus® sint, el qflibus limitibus versus polos
In Terra Australis, the aggregate number of plants known
to Mr. Brown is 430% Of these, one hundred and sixty-six are
common to that country and to Europe ; one hundred and
nineteen of the latter are agamous plants, thirty-two monocotyledonous,
and only fifteen dicotyledonous. Of these fifteen
several are such as may be suspected to have been transported
by men; but this cannot be said of all of them. However,
all Of them, -and, indeed nearly .the whole of the phanerogamous
plants > which are common to Terra Australis and to
Europe, are such as are likewise found1 in America, and several
of them also exist in other regions»'
* A> diversity not less striking has been1 discovered on eom-r
paring tthe^ vegetation of other southern Countries with that
©f(«Europe,'and1 the northern regions. Although the proportion.
of Entopean plants in. Terra; Australis is so small, it appears,
afe'Ml. Brown-has remarked, to he greater than that
whicfifedbiirfd;in the -south of Africa. “ The vegetation of
tth l;i'Caipe. of-Good 'Hop<%” he c o n tin u e s ^ no t only in the
number» of! species peculiar to it,-but in its-general character,
a-s* depending* on the extensive \ generA or. families of which. \t
is feoinposetiy differs- almost as widely from th a t of the northern
parts.of: the same continent and the south; of Europe,
as-does/»that of the1 corresponding latitude of Terra Australis
from the flora of India, and of Northern Asia. The same
Writer has also observed,;that the proportion of European
species "in-\SOuth Americans'probably still smaller than in
South Africa,'though our means of|^dging\on- -this point are
insufficient. However, some European plants are known to
exist id'South America. The two Forsters found in Tierra
del Euego, the Pinguicola Alpina, Galium Aparine, Statice
Armeria, and Ranunculus Lapponicus. Wil denow- has remarked,
that it may be questioned whether these naturalists
were not deceived AS to the'specific identity of some plants
with their European analogues, owing to the want of an opac
inontes, a frigore circumscribantur. Comiderarrtes primum non nisiloca -plana
zon®-frigid® et teraperat®, mirabimur quantopere, subeddem: parallel©, in amba-
busbontinentibus annua temperies differat. Non -est hie locus, causas hujiis diffe-
reati® exponendiy qaas jam alias demonstravimus^.sufficitin hoc argument© ra-
tioneb diligentius, quam antea factum est, numeris exponere.’’ A. de Humboldt,
De distributione Geographic» Plantarum.