greaicit Heights nfiJie Himaloyah and Upper Peru. 45 



])henomenon, that there the vegetation exhibits remarkable dif- 

 ferences, not only according to a change of latitude, but also 

 according to a change of longitude, without at -all taking into 

 consideration the great difference of character in the vegetation 

 of the southern hemisphere from that of the north ; and that, 

 in so far at least as the higher latitudes are concerned, there are 

 in reality in the northern hemisphere only representatives of the 

 vegetable forms of the corresponding zones of the southern he- 

 misphere. And tlie same is the case vice versa ; for there oc- 

 cur also in the higher latitudes of the southern hemisphere re- 

 presentatives of the corresponding latitudes of the northern 

 hemisphere. And, in the same manner as we find the vegeta- 

 tion of the plains of the southern hemisphere, so is it also on the 

 highest mountains ; and also in those districts of Upper Peru 

 from which we started. The vegetation of the heights of Upper 

 Peru has hardly any resemblance to that of the Himalayah : 

 there we hardly find representatives of those genera which in the 

 Himalayah, and generally in the mountains of the northern 

 hemisphere, form the alpine vegetation. On the contrary, there 

 occur distinct forms of genera and families, which are partly 

 quite foreign to our northern hemisphere, and partly belong on- 

 ly to its more southern portions, and never present themselves 

 in the highest latitudes, or ascend to the highest regions of our 

 mountains. To the exquisite primroses of the alpine flora of 

 our northern hemisphere there correspond the singularly mo- 

 delled form of the ]Merline£e and that of the Verbenaceae. The 

 genera Mimulus, Alstranneria, Calceolaria, Tropceulum, Cu' 

 landrinia, and Jdcsmia, which bow form the greatest orna- 

 ments of our gardens, are sometiaics collected into the most en- 

 livening patches close to the limits of perpetual snow; and the 

 genera Espeletia, Oxalis, Accena, Nieremhergia, Atropa, Li/' 

 cium, Culcitium, Chuquiraga, Sida, and many others, contri- 

 bute to clothe the region of alpine plants ; while of all the.se ge- 

 nera not a trace is found in the region of alpine plants in the 

 northern hemisphere. The genus Sida, and the Malvaceae ge- 

 nerally, remain at a distance from the Arctic zone in our hemi- 

 sphere, and do not ascend to the region of the alpine plants ; 

 while on the Peruvian Cordillera they extend to the limits of 

 perpetual snow, and there actually constitute the most remark- 

 able forms. 



