THE SOUTH TEMPERATE ZONE 321 



fleshy leaves and dull purplish flowers, with a most evil scent of 

 carrion, which attract flies and other insects that doubtless play 

 their part in pollination of the flowers. 



The writer travelled through this region in September, 1905, 

 a season of unusually abundant rains, so that the Karroo was seen 

 in its most attractive aspect. While the low bushes, looking like 

 sage-brush were perhaps the most obvious feature of the landscape, 

 there were also many bright flowers, the most conspicuous a 

 pink Mesembryanthemum which occurred in large masses, and in 

 the distance reminded one of the heather on Scottish moorlands. 1 



The railway through the Karroo ascends to a height of about 

 3,500 feet (1,150 m.) and then descends through picturesque scenery 

 to the beautiful valley of the Hexe River, one of the most attrac- 

 tive regions in South Africa. The vegetation of the Hexe valley 

 is a combination of that of the Karoo and the true Cape flora. 

 In September, the height of the spring season, the wonderful 

 Cape flora was in its glory, and is unsurpassed by anything the 

 writer has seen unless, perhaps, the somewhat similar floral dis- 

 play in West Australia. 



On the rocky hillsides were masses of beautiful heaths and other 

 showy shrubs, and along the railway were millions of exquisite 

 flowers of every shade and color: white, yellow, pink, vivid orange, 

 scarlet, blue and purple. Particularly abundant were the Babian 

 beautiful plants of the Iris family, sometimes seen in Calfornian 

 gardens. These have all shades of blue, purple and crimson, 

 and in mass are extraordinarily effective. This region is also the 

 home of many species of Freesia, Ixia, Sparaxis and Gladiolus, 

 all garden favorites. 



Australasia 



Australia and New Zealand, isolated as they are, show a very 

 high degree of endemism both among plants and animals. The 

 outlying islands share in this, and the great island of Papua, or 

 New Guinea, and the adjacent islands to the west, are to a cer- 

 tain extent Australian in their vegetation, and connect the Austral- 

 asian floras with the more strictly Malayan vegetation of the 

 large western islands of the Archipelago. 



1 For details of the flora of the Karroo, Engler, loc. cit., pp. 1 • i ^ 177. 



Cannon, W. A., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 354; 1924. 



