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THE REGIONS OF VEGETATION. 315 
opened for the inquiry. In this manner, and with the 
materials daily accumulating, it is not unlikely that the 
subject will soon meet with all the elucidation it is capable 
of receiving. 
Botanists have not failed to bestow attention on the 
geographie distribution of plants, and with some success, 
as important facts have been developed bearing closely on 
the subject. In particular, De Candolle and Schouw have 
ivided the world into several regions, according to the 
views of each, and though their numbers closely correspond, 
the districts assigned to each widely differ. Some limited 
floras have also been subjected to regional divisions ; as 
that of France by Lamarck, and De Candolle ; and that of 
the United States, by an anonymous writer,* in which is 
adopted the nomenclature of Schouw. The regions of both 
De Candolle and Schouw appear to me objectionable, since 
they are too numerous to maintain to each the character of 
provinces ; whilst they are too few to convey correct impres- 
sions of the numerous closer peculiarities of the vegetation 
of the earth's surface, 
Schouw's regions are liable to the above objections, of 
being too nnmerous for provinces, and too few for regions. 
It may also be observed that too great variety is adopted in 
the nomenclature; some having political designations, 
whilst others are named from their most characteristic 
vegetable productions. Even these latter are strangely 
ivided, as in the separation of the region of arboreseent 
Composite, from tbat of Asters and Solidagos. Undoubtedly, 
the application of botanical names to regions is pretty, but 
their use is apt to give undue importance to the plants 
furnishing the designation, as in his regions of Magnolie, 
Scitaminee, and Mesembryanthema, and Stapelie. These are 
* In the American reprint of Murray's Encyclopedia of Geography, 
the article on the United States has been re-written, and the portion 
devoted to Botany gives a very full and able detail of its features, with 
many highly interesting — respecting range of growth, economic 
properties, and other useful subjects 
252 
