146 CHAPTER II 



(1949) lists 1107 species of flowering plants (Phanerogams) from the island, of 

 which almost exactly half, 556 species, grow in Europe (incl. the British Isles, 

 but excl. Iceland) though in some cases as a different subspecies. The floristic rela- 

 tionship is quite striking in certain families: in Boraginaceae all 12 Newfoundland 

 species are "Europeans", in Cruciferae 35 out of 50, in Leguminosae 18 of 27, in 

 Lahiatae 12 of 19, in Scrophulariaceae 25 of 40. 



The European introductions in the Newfoundland flora can easily be extracted 

 from records given in "Gray's Manual" (Fernald, 1950). Of the 556 "Europeans" 

 mentioned, 227 species are regarded as such in North America, that is no less 

 than 21 per cent of the whole flora of the island. ^ Only 4- of these are lacking in 

 the British Isles (Clapham, Tutin & Warburg, 1952). 



The lower terrestrial fauna of Newfoundland shows similar features though, 

 unfortunately, only a restricted number of taxonomical groups has so far been 

 subjected to a modern revision, including a detailed comparison with European 

 specimens. Table 3 therefore represents a rather artificial selection. 



In the first place it is notable how variable is the European element within 

 the different groups treated in table 3, consisting (next-to-last column) of from 

 100 per cent identical species among terrestrial Isopods, to 14 per cent among 

 the Odonata. As demonstrated by the last column, this is mainly due to the different 

 influence of introduced species. This, in its turn, is easily explained by the utterly 

 different suitability for passive, anthropochorous transport of the selected groups 

 of animals, as will be more closely elucidated in the following pages (p. 198 a.f.) 



In spite of the unequal importance of an introduced European element in different 

 taxonomic groups, its striking dominance in the Newfoundland fauna, as compared 

 with that of the adjacent mainland, is quite clear (cf. maps, figs. lo-ii). Against 



^ This figure is no doubt too low. Fernald apparently overstimated the age and the original 

 peculiarity of the Newfoundland flora. At least the following 30 species, regarded by Fernald 

 as indigenous, should probably be removed to the group of European introductions: 



Alchemilla filicaiilis Gnophalium sylvaticiim P. sylvatica 



A. minor Jiincus acntiflorus Polygonum hydropiper 



A. pastoralis J. bidbosus P. Rati 



Cardamine flexuosa Latliyrus pratensis Potentilla anglica 



Cirsium paliistre Litiuni catharcticiim P. erecta 



Cochlearia danica Liizida campestris P. sterilis 



Festuca capillata L. pallescens Scrophidaria nodosa 



Fragaria vesca Moutia rkndaris Sieglingia deciimbens 



Galium aparine Nardus stricta Speraularia rubra 



G. saxatile Pedicularis paliistris Veronica officinalis 



If these species are included, the percentage of European introductions in the flora of 

 Newfoundland is increased to 23. 



* Alopecurus ventricosus Pers., Centaurea nigrescens Willd., Geranium ibericum Cav., 

 Lappula echinata Gilib., and possibly 2 or 3 micro-species oi Hieracium. A few other species 

 grow in the British Islands only as cultivated, escaped, or casual adventives. 



