JOHNSTON: FLORA OF MARGARITA ISLAND. 301 



Cuba is not to be found in northern Venezuela excepting of course the 

 flora common to all tropical countries. The vegetative conditions of 

 these islands can be said to differ from portions only of Venezuela. 

 The waste plain west of Kingston is dupHcated in the plain of Mar- 

 garita. The valleys and ridge of the Blue Mountains resemble those 

 of the coast range above Caracas in Venezuela. The barren moun- 

 tains about Santiago de Cuba are identical in appearance with range 

 after range extending from Caracas to Valencia. The rolling land 

 that occupies the most' of Cuba with its cane fields and tobacco fields 

 is similar to that of the interior of Venezuela. There still remains in 

 Cuba some of the virgin forest. In fact there is considerable of it 

 and it suggests that of the more nearly equatorial countries. Only in 

 a limited way, however, does it begin to compare with a truly tropical 

 forest. Such vegetation as is to be found along the shores of the 

 Orinoco, Essequibo, and the iVmazon is nowhere to be found among 

 the northern islands. 



Further north than the islands of Jamaica and Cuba, in subtropical 

 Florida there are naturally many changes from the tropics. Some 

 districts approach in their wild luxuriance of vegetation that of coun- 

 tries near the equator and on the other hand there are to be found 

 some stretches barren as the desert regions of the Venezuelan islands. 

 As a whole, however, the individual species making up the t}'pe of 

 vegetation have changed. The difference in temperature of the 

 regions sets a limit upon the distribution of the species. In passing, 

 it is of interest to note that notwithstanding the great differences in 

 species, exclusive of cultivated plants there are ninety-seven different 

 species occurring in both southern Florida and Margarita. 



Conclusion. 



In writing the foregoing pages three objects have been foremost in 

 my mind: to catalogue the plants of Margarita, to describe its vegeta- 

 tive conditions, and to compare its flora with that of adjacent regions. 



The catalogue of the species comprises 644 names, all of the plants 

 that have been reported from Margarita. Collections, however, have 

 been made only on part of the eastern end and during only a part of 

 the year (jNIarch, July, August, and the first four days in September) 

 thus leaving opportunity for much additional work. It is doubtful 

 if this catalogue comprises much more than three fourths of the entire 



