Postelsia 9 
few rainless days. Even during the summer it 
is unusual for a week to pass by without some 
precipitation. The rain falls usually in the form 
of steady continuous drizzle, which at times may 
develop into heavy downpours. Such "a 
great amount of rainfall cannot but have 
far-reaching effects upon the floral population of 
the place, and this together with the equable 
climate brings about conditions favorable for the 
development and maintenance of dense and 
heavy vegetation. Snow is of rare occurrence 
in this part of the island, and if it falls it quickly 
disappears, because the temperature very seldom 
isvenown to reach the freezing point. | “ihe 
Japan current, with its warm waters sweeping 
along. the west coast of North America, exerts a 
great equalizing influence upon the climate of 
the islands whose shores it washes, and is an 
important factor in the present floral develop- 
ment. Moisture and heat are thus seen to.be 
present in quantities to give seasons with long 
periods of growth. These combined causes are 
responsible for the dense and stately forests that 
characterize the region. 
