16 



MB. J. BALL OK THE TLOEA 



In attempting to draw any conclusions from the materials 

 at my disposal, I was naturally confronted with the doubt whether 

 a collection so small could be regarded as in any degree repre- 

 sentative of the Andean flora. Unfortunately we possess no 

 complete work in which the existing materials for a flora of any 

 part of the tropical Andes have been brought together. The 

 * Chloris Andina' of that excellent botanist the late Mr. AVeddeil 

 unfortunately remains incomplete, and for purposes of compari- 

 son it is difficult to use, because it includes a large number of 

 species confined to the Chilian Andes, and belonging to genera 

 either not at all, or very slightly represented in the equatorial 

 region. There is also some inconsistency in the limits of elevation 

 assumed as characteristic of the Andean flora. I have attempted 

 roughly to compare my results with those obtainable from the 

 ' Chloris Andina/ and am led to the conclusion that they are more 

 fairly representative than I could have anticipated. 



The only large group as to which Weddell's work is complete 

 is that of the gamopetalous dicotyledons, including the Composites^ 

 For the latter the inclusion by Weddell of a large number of 

 genera and species of Mutisiacece which do not extend to the 

 tropical Andes would make the comparison misleading ; and for 

 similar reasons I have restricted the comparison of the remaining 

 natural orders of Gamopetalce to the Sicarpellatce as defined by 

 Bentham and Hooker. 



Tables sJiowing Comparative jResults as to two large Groups of 

 Plants of materials in the ^ Chloris Andina ' and in the Col- 

 lection made in the Simac Valley, 



Composites y excluding Mutisiacece. 



1 



Chloris Andina. 



Kimac Valley. 



No. of 

 genera. 



No. of 

 species. 



No. of 

 genera. 



Kg. of 



species. 



1 



1 

 1 



10 



2 



6 

 2 



17 



214 



18 



43 



3 



88 



9 

 2 

 4 



1 



4 



33 

 2 





7 





W 





4 



o^ 



L 



Totals 



37 



366 



19 



46 





^^^^ 



