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with respect to the Faeroes'), and which Warming has mentioned 

 in his Danish vegetation^). But in comparison with the Faeroese 

 vegetation, the West Indian is of much more modest extension. 

 Tims tlie algse scarcely reached more than a foot above highest 

 water mark and only in localities most protected from the sun; 

 the halophilous lichens^) reach most probably somewhat higher and 

 pass evenly into the non-halophilous rock lichens growing higher up. 



Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity of making any 

 collections on the most exposed shores, as, at the times I tried, it 

 was impossible to land on account of the surf. In some more 

 sheltered localities e. g. on St. Jan in Gruzbay at Ghristiansfort, a 

 very rich lichen vegetation is growing right down to the sea and 

 something similar I have seen several times on the coasts of St. 

 Croix and St. Thomas in some more sheltered localities e. g. in 

 Magens Bay. This lichen belt is broader or narrower according to 

 the condition of the coast, on particularly exposed coast on the 

 north side of the islands the phanerogamous vegetation does not 

 begin until at a height of many feet above the sea level, whereas 

 higher plants on sheltered rocky coast can go almost right down 

 to the highest water mark. 



While the lichens and algae are able to attach themselves to 

 the naked, steep rocky wall, flowering plants demand some cracks 

 or depressions with earth or some other loose material, or, what 

 can only be the case on slightly sloping or almost horizontal rocks, 

 a layer of earth on this. 



One of the first occurring Phanerogams on more sheltered 

 coast is Sesuvium portulacastrum L. (cfr. fig. 39), with often more 

 than metre long branches, which entangled into each other in 

 long garlands hang down the lichen-grown rocks, attached to 

 cracks, or earth and sand-filled depressions. It often here ap- 

 pears in a somewhat more xerophilous form than on the sandy 

 shore, thus the leaves are smaller, often nearly half as long, some- 



M Borjifesen, F., The algae- vegetation of the Fteroese coasts (Botany of 

 the Faeroes, Part III, K0benhavn 1905, pag. 711: The Hildenbrandia- 

 Formation). 



-) Warming, Eug. , Dansk Plantevaekst. 1. Strandvegetation. Kobenhavn 

 1906, pag. 5: Klippekystens Plantevaekst. 



^) I assume that special halophilous lichens are found here as well as along 

 the northern coasts, but what species they are, Dr. Wainio who is most 

 kindly determining my lichens, has not yet been able to tell me. 



17* 



