AND THE NEIGHBOURING DISTRICTS. 



187 



only 15 belonged to families completely strangers to Europe. These statements are 

 doubtless accurate, as far as they go ; but the vegetation of those countries is in reality 

 more different from the European than such comparisons would seem to imply. Eor, in 

 the first place, many of the families and genera of plants which especially predominate in 

 the Argentine region, and are strikingly characteristic of it, are such as are but scantily 

 represented in Europe, or make no conspicuous figure here. Such are, in particular, the 

 families of Solcmece, Verbenacece, Amaranthacece, and, perhaps I may add, Malvacece. 

 Such is the genus Solatium, of which many more species grow wild within a short walk 

 of the city of Buenos Ayres, than in the whole of Europe ; such is the genus Verbena, 

 so insignificant in our continent, but playing so conspicuous a part in the Argentine 

 vegetation, by the number of species, the profusion in which they grow, and the beauty 

 and brilliancy of many of them. I may add also the genus Eryngium, or at least that 

 curious section of it which is characterized by narrow and parallel- veined leaves. 



Secondly, although the genera altogether wanting in Europe may not form, numeri- 

 cally, a very large proportion of the Argentine flora, yet several of them are very con- 

 spicuous, and play an important part in that flora by the number of species or of indivi- 

 duals. Such are Pontederia, Gomphrena, Teleianthera, Jussicea, Nicotiana, Petunia, Nie- 

 rembergia, and others. 



Thirdly, on the other hand, several of the families of plants which most abound in 

 Europe, are nearly wanting, or but very feebly represented, (if we exclude naturalized 

 plants,) on the shores of the Plata; such are Cruciferce, Caryophyllece, JJmbelliferce 

 (excepting Eryngium), Boraginece, Bipsacece, and two of the primary divisions of Compo- 

 site, namely the Cichoracece and Cynarece. 



In the collections in my possession from Buenos Ayres and the Banda Oriental, I find 

 fourteen families and 102 genera which are not European. The families are : 



Commelynacece, Marantacece, Passiflorece, Buttneriacece, Tropceolece, 

 Pontederacece, Calyceracece, Loasece, Malpighiacece, Melastomacece. 



Bromeliacece, Bignoniacece, Begoniacece, Sapmdacece, 



The genera wanting in Europe are the following : 



2c2 



