350 COSMOS. 



tlie north of Asia as far as the latitudes of Bcrhn ami Ham- 

 burg, a fact of which Ehrenberg and myself havo spoken in 

 9ther works.* 



The grouping or association of different vegetable species, 

 to which we are accustomed to apply the term Floras, do not 

 a])pear to me, from what I have observed in different portions 

 of the earth's surface, to manifest such a predominance of in- 

 dividual families as to justify us in marking the geographical 

 distinctions betv»'een the regions of the Umbellatce, of the So- 

 Udagina3, of the Labiatte, or the Scitaminea^. With reference 

 to this subject, my views difier from those of several of my 

 friends, who rank among the most distinguished of the bota- 

 nists of Germany. The character of the floras of the elevated 

 ^)lateaux of Mexico, New Granada, and Quito, of European 

 liussia, and of Northern Asia, consists, in my opinion, not so 

 much in the relatively larger number of the species presented 

 by one or two natural families, as in the more complicated 

 ?-elations of the coexistence of many families, and in the rela- 

 tive numerical value of their species. The Graminese and 

 the Cyperacea> undoubtedly predominate in meadow lands 

 and steppes, as do Conifera?, Cupulifera), and Betulincce in our 

 northern woods ; but this predominance of certain forms is 

 only apparent, and owing to the aspect imparted by the social 

 plants. The north of Europe, and that portion of Siberia 

 which is situated to the north of the Altai Mountains, have 

 no greater right to the appellation of a region of Graminese 

 and Coniferes than have the boundless llanos between the 

 Orinoco and the mountain chain of Caraccas, or the pine for- 

 ests of Mexico. It is the coexistence of forms which may par- 

 tially replace each other, and their relative numbers and as- 

 sociation, which give rise either to the general impression of 

 luxuriance and diversity, or of poverty and uniformity in the 

 contemplation of the vegetable world. 



In this fragmentary sketch oi" the phenom.ena of organiza- 

 tion, I have ascended from the simplest cellf — the first mani- 

 festation of life — progressively to higher structures. " Th« 



* Ehrenberg, in ihe Annales des Sciences NatiircUes, t. xxl., p. 387 

 412; Humboldt, Asie Ccntrale, t. i., p. 339-342, and t. iii., p. 96-101 



t Scbleiden, Uebcr die Enizcick^ungszceisc der rjlanzenzeilen, in Miil 

 lers Arckiv fur Anatomic nnd Physiologie, 1838, s. 137-17G; also hi» 

 (frundzuge der wissenschnftlichcn Botanik, th. i., s. 191, and th. ii-, s 

 11. Schwann, Mikroscopische Unfersrtchungen i'lber die Uehcreinstitn- 

 rinng in der Struktur und dem Wachsthmn der Thiere itnd P/Ianzen^ 

 1839, s. 45, 220. Compai'e also, on simihir propagation, Job. Mi^'ler 

 yhfjsioJogie dcs Mcnschi'n, 1310 th. ii.. s Gil. 



