THE PROBLEMS OF ANTARCTIC PLANT LIFE. 9 



Antarctic regions has received more careful and serious exploration than any other. 

 Graham Land, moreover, extends to a far lower latitude than other parts of 

 Antarctica. 



The total number of mosses brought from Antarctic regions up to and including the 

 collections of the Nimrod, appears to be 52. The Belgica collected 27 species on the 

 west of Graham Land, the Antarctic 23 in different parts of Louis Philippe Land 

 and adjacent regions, the Frangais 18 round about Gerlache Strait, and the Scotia 

 10 at the South Orkneys. Four further species were collected at the South Orkneys 

 by Senor L. H. Valette of the Argentine Observatory (1904). Of the 14 South Orkney 

 species none are endemic, but 4 are not known from outside the Antarctic regions. 

 The Southern Cross collected 3 species in Victoria Land, the Discovery added 6 

 further ones to this list, and the Nimrod one more. The Gauss collected only one species 

 of moss at Wilhelm Land, and this at present is the only one known throughout the 

 whole extent of coast-line between Cape Adare and Graham Land. The Scottish 

 Expedition was unable to effect any landing on Coats Land. 



Dr Cardot has recently discussed in full the relationships of the moss flora of the 

 Antarctic (loc. cit.). He points out that 24 of the 52 species are endemic, 16 are 

 northern and 12 southern species of wide distribution, while the rest are more or less 

 cosmopolitan ; and noting also that many Antarctic species have close affinities with 

 northern species, concludes that " en somme la facies de la flore bryologique antarctique 

 est plus boreal que magellanique." Dr Cardot believes that the Antarctic moss flora 

 will be found to be very uniform wherever it occurs. Of the 9 species known from 

 Victoria Land, 5 are peculiar to Antarctic regions, and 3 of those are also found in Graham 

 Land. In all, 6 of the 9 species found in Victoria Land are common to both it and 

 Graham Land : this is a high proportion. 



Again, the relationship of the Antarctic moss flora with those of South Georgia and 

 the Magellan lands is most noticeable. There are 17 species common to the Antarctic 

 and South Georgia, of which 6 are of wide distribution in other lands, chiefly northern : 

 16 species are common to the Antarctic and Fuegian lands, of which 10 are of wide 

 distribution, again chiefly in the northern hemisphere. Excluding 8 species of wide 

 distribution, only 5 species occur in both the Antarctic and Kerguelen, and of these 

 3 are also found in South Georgia. These facts suggest a migration from Fuegian lands 

 as the origin of the Antarctic flora. 



The life conditions for mosses are evidently not too unfavourable, for most of the 

 species show a fairly vigorous growth and do not appear to suffer from the severe 

 environment. Dr Cardot comments on the luxurious growth of certain specimens sub- 

 mitted to him. This can specially be remarked in those species which have a wide 

 distribution throughout other parts of the world, for in them it is possible to make a 

 comparison of the effects of the Antarctic climate and soil on the growth of the plant, 

 In the South Orkneys I noticed that for at least seven months, and in places eight, the 

 moss was frozen as hard as rock, but this did not seem at all to impair its vitality on 



VOL. III. 2 



