The Flora of Greenland and its Origin. 



17 



in habitats which might be supposed to produce hav, i. e. 

 meadows and grassy slopes. As will be seen from the 

 accompanying Hst' there are about 50 species ol" flowering 

 piants which can be said to fullil these conditions fairly 

 Avell; that is to say, as regards their distribution, that they 

 are, on the whole, only found within an area reacliing from 

 the northern part of the Godtliaab Fjord in tlie north to 

 Lindenow Fjord in the extreme southern part of the east 

 €oast in the south — answering to the phyto-geographical 

 districts W. III, W. II and I mentioned belo^v (see also 

 <jeneral List). Most of these are meadow- or grassland 

 piants, and no fewer than 20 are grasses or grass-Hke 

 piants. The majorit^^ are found only in District I, answering 

 to the ancient southern settlement (Ej^stri byggd) and several 

 of them which extend farther north are lacking in W. II, 

 only to reappear in W. III, Godthaab Fjord, the ancient 

 Vestri byggd. 



We may thus reckon, with some degree of probability, 

 that one-eighth (abt. 13 p. c. ) of Green la nd's 390 

 species of vascular piants were brought into the 

 country through the old Norse colon isation. 



List of Piants probably introdueed by tlie Nor se- 

 men, — i. e. species almost exclusively found within the area of 

 the old Norse colonies, and at the same thiie also found in Norway 

 or Iceland, the majority in both these countries'^: 



E. Betula pubescens, N. Lat. 61°35 — 60°10. 

 G. Cerastium cæspitosuni, 61°45 — 60°. 



' I have not liere included vascular crj'ptogams, even where they 

 have the corresponding distribution, as their small and light spores enable 

 them to be scattered b}' the wind for great distances, and they might 

 thus equally well be supposed to have come to Greenland from overseas. 



^ For the meaning of capital letters prefixed to names of species, 

 see p. 24. 



Vidensk.Selsk. Biol. Modd. VI, 3. 2 



I 



