PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND BOTANY OF CHILI. lU 



In these remarks, however, I do not include the vegetation of 

 the Andes. The studies that I have made on our mountain 

 flowers have as yet given me no clue to their laws of distribution. 

 Por example, the little Cololanthus quitensis, Bartl. was first 

 found at Quito, under the equator. I have found it in the Andes 

 near Santiago, and in Chiloe, and I firmly believe it occurs also 

 at Magellan. Should this however prove to be a cosmopolitan 

 species, one of my difficulties will be removed. 



Last year I found some half-dozen species of plants that had 

 previously been described from Terra del Tuego, growing in a 

 marsh on the coast range in Yaldivia, some 2000 or 2500 feet 

 above the sea level. These and similar facts can be satisfactorily 

 accounted for, but cosmopolitan plants are terrible things 

 theoretically. Tho first time I crossed the Andes, I of course 

 noted and collected the plants that I met high up, most carefully — 

 imagine then my surprise and annoyance when, at one of the 

 highest points over 13,000 feet, I found a specimen of the 

 ** shepherd's purse," f Capsella hursa pastoris.J 



I suppose the Capsella is realy a cosmopolitan plant. It occurs 

 all over the country, but at the same time a great many European 

 plants get accidentally introduced. 



Por example, two years ago I foand two or three specimens of 

 the common ^' groundsel" fSenecio vulgaris J in Chiloe; this was, 

 I believe, the first time it had been noticed in Chili ; now, it is 

 common in the streets of Santiago, commonest near a nursery 

 garden, so that it must have been accidently introduced with some 

 plants or seeds. I also found a daisy f Belli s perennisj in a field 

 in Chiloe, but I have never since seen it in Chili. 



To the north of Valdivia the vegetation is very abundant in the 

 provinces of Aranco and Concepcion, and woods are met with 

 even more to the north. A large number of plants are met with 

 in Concepcion, some of which occur, though rarely, at Santiago, 

 a much larger number being met with at Valparaiso. 



I^ear the desert of Atacama we get a peculiar Flora ; Professor 

 Phillipi obtained 417 species of vascular plants during his journey 



