







































■ 



► 



' 







*. . 















MB. JOUN BALL ON THE FLORA OF PATAGONIA. 471 





















r 



Further Contributions to the Flora of Patagonia. 

 By the late John Ba^ F.K.S., M.E.I.A., F.L.S., &c. 



[Read 6th February, 1890.] 



Iu the autumn of 1888 Mr. Williams Andrews, a gentleman who 

 has enjoyed exceptional opportunities for exploring the interior 

 of Patagonia, presented to the Herbarium of the Eoyal Gardens 

 at Row a small collection of plants made by him in the course 

 of his travels in that country. The specimens were, as far as 

 possible, identified by Professor Oliver, who was good enough to 

 invite me to examine the collection before the specimens were 

 intercalated in the Herbarium. 



As the collection, though small, is of considerable interest 

 as an addition to our knowledge of a little-known region, 



nave thought it desirable to present a short account of it 

 to the Linnean Society. I was tempted to make use of the 

 same occasion to give a complete enumeration of the plants 

 hitherto known to inhabit Patagonia ; but, although there is no 

 great difficulty in putting together the rather scanty materials 

 to be found in published works, I find reason to believe that a 

 full examination of the collections in the herbaria at Kew and 

 at the British Museum would add a good many species to the 

 »st, and this task I am forced to postpone to a future occasion. 



As whatever interest may attach to the present short paper is 

 ma inly that of a contribution to botanical geography, it may be 

 w ell to premise a few remarks on the topography of the region 

 oow in question. 



Leaving out of account the narrow fringe of coast lying on 

 the we st side of the continent between the southern extremity 

 of the Andes and the waters of the Pacific, which, with the 

 parallel range of mountainous islands, is sometimes styled 

 Western Patagonia, the name is properly limited to the southern 

 Part of the American continent lying cast of the Andes, which 

 la drained by streams running into the Atlantic Ocean. The 

 greater part of this region is a broken plateau, raised from the 

 ^a during the latest geological period, and nowhere exceeding a 

 fe * hundred feet above sea-level. The streams that flow to the 

 Atlantic throughout a distance of ten degrees of latitude are for 

 ta e most part inconsiderable, the most important being the 











* 











1« 























* 





















■ 







■ ■ 

















l 







