256 
these families forming, in the latter, 1-64th of the whole 
vegetable productions, and in Germany, 1-137th; the former, 
again, falls far behind in the number of its Primulacee, 
Solanee, Ericee and Campanulacee ; these, collectively, being 
in Germany 1-19th, and in Altai only 1-37th. The Com- 
posite, in the mass, form in both countries about 1-8th; but 
the separate families of this Natural Order are very differently 
distributed. While in Germany, the amount of Centauree, 
| Radiate, and Cichoracee preponderates, the Altai is richest 
in Eupatorie, Perdiciee, and particularly Cinarocephale, the 
latter section indeed being more numerous than in Germany. 
The Aggregate, Valerianee, Rubiacee, Saxifragee and 
Rhamnee, compose in Germany 1-26th, in the Altai 1-50th. 
The Rutacee and Tamariscinee, on the contrary, amount to 
1-123d in the latter, and in Germany to only 1-960th. The 
Umbellate are, in the latter, 1-25th, in the Altai 1-26th: the 
Crucifere of Germany 1-12th, of Altai 1-18th. In Malvacee, 
Linea, Portulacee, and Sede, the German Flora excels, aS, 
in respect to the Zonidee and Grossularia, it must yield to the 
Altai, The Caryophyllee constitute in Germany 1-26th, in 
the Altai 1-20th; and, lastly, the Rosacee of Germany re 
1-15th, and of the Altai 1-21st: still many of the numerous 
Rubi, now entering into the German Flora, might probably, 
on examination, appear to be natives of the Altai also. 
A striking feature of Altaic vegetation consists in the 
great scarcity of hard-wood trees. We have seen, by the 
above list, that the Terebinthacee, Aceree and Tiliacee are 
wanting to its Flora; so are also the genera Quercus, Fagus, 
Carpinus, Frazinus, &c. The Birch is almost the only 
hard-wood found in tolerable plenty: next to it are the 
Aspens, which present themselves here and there, collected 
into little groves. Besides these, two other species of Poplar 
occur on the banks of rivers, and in the low tracts. The 
other hard-wood trees do not grow to a large size, and are 
_ scarcely numerous enough to deserve notice. With regard x 
the herbaceous plants, we may easily note the disproportion 
in the amount of annual and perennial ones. The former are 
Very few, even in the less elevated districts; and as they. 
