The Antarctic 



cently been examined by M. Chardot.^ Twelve out of the 

 forty-six species are cosmopolitan plants, but some of 

 them are again allied to north temperate or arctic mosses. 



But it is certain flowering plants of South America 

 and New Zealand that have raised the most intricate 

 and difficult questions. 



The general plant world of South America is quite 

 different from that of Australia and New Zealand. It 

 is supposed to be descended from a very ancient 

 flora which inhabited Brazil and Guiana. There are 

 also descendants of Californian plants which came into 

 South America by way of the Andes. 



But in Southern Chile and Fuegia there are quite a 

 large number which are obviously allied to Australasian 

 or especially New Zealand species. 



The resemblances are far too many to be purely 

 accidental, for one finds, for instance, woods in which 

 the characteristic and master-plants are beeches which 

 belong to the characteristic type of New Zealand, not 

 to the northern type of beech. 



One little mountain plant, Azorella, is specially inter- 

 esting. It is found in many of the dry cold mountain 

 deserts of the Andes of Northern Chile and North 

 Argentina at 4500 to 5500 metres (17,000 to 21,000 

 feet) altitude, where it is the characteristic plant of a 

 special association.^ 



Azorella madreporica has an extraordinary appear- 

 ance, looking very much like a small hummock of the 

 coral from which it takes its name. Its little closely 

 packed twigs form so hard and solid a mass that if one 

 fires a revolver at them the ball glances off, being quite 

 unable to penetrate it. Its compressed crowded growth 

 is due to the many short hard twigs which are packed 

 together by the dead leaves and dust between them.* 



Such a habit is very characteristic of New Zealand 

 alpine plants, and is a very important help to the plant 



100 



