on the Geography of Plants, 241 



made to the author's calculation. He distributes at p. xi., hit 

 38,000 phanerogamous plants after the following manner : 



Europe 7,000 



Asia, temperate zone ♦ 1,600 



Asia, torrid zone 4,500 



Africa, 3,000 



The two temperate zones of America 4,000 



The torrid zone of America 1 3,000 



New Holland and the Islands of the South Sea 5,000 



38,000 

 Since it is only through the addition of these numbers, that 

 the sum of 38,000 is obtained, a question arises, where the au- 

 thor has placed those plants which are common to several parts 

 of the world ; especially a great number which are common to 

 Europe and the northern part of Asia, and also to Europe and 

 the northern part of Africa. From a more exact examination 

 it would appear that only the most common are comprised in 

 the number of European plants ; whence it arises, that the tem- 

 perate zone of Asia has no more than 1,500 plants, although 

 Bribustein's Flora Taurico Caucasica, for a small part only 

 of the same, enumerates 2,000 plants ; and Africa receives only 

 3,000, notwithstanding the Flora of the Cape, contains nearly 

 as many*, and that of Algiers, according to the author's estimate, 

 p. X., contains 1,600. It is in any person's power easily to de- 

 monstrate the defects of this kind of calculation. 



The author asserts, p. ix., that South America possesses only 

 one quarter of the plants belonging to the torrid zone; without, 

 however, adducing the evidence upon which the assertion is 

 founded, for he does not actually prove that South America 

 comprises about one quarter of the area of the whole torrid 

 Zone. 



2. Geographical Distribution of the Families of 

 Plants, p. xii. — xx. 



The author commences with the remark, that writers upon the 



• Thunberg's Frodomus Flora; Capensis contains about 2,600 plants. 



