141 



posed stone, presents plants forming patches, as Silene acaulis, 

 Saxifraga oppositifolia, Arenaria rubella. Among these grow 

 Draba alpina and other species, Arenaria ciliata, Myosotis 

 villosa, Dryas octopetala. The loamy soil, which in summer 

 dries up- and breaks into fissures 1 3 inches broad (more or 

 less regular polygons), exhibits Platypelalum purpurascens, 

 species of Saxifraga, as S. Hirculus, and isolated specimens of 

 Draba verna. The mosses gradually collect in the furrows, 

 and among these grows Salix polaris, the most common of 

 the shrubs, whose branches are very short and only send 

 forth two leaves with the catkin from the protecting envelope, 

 together with some species of Eriophorum. 



As plants of the most sterile soil are enumerated Rhodiola 

 rosea, Erigeron coniflorum, a Vaccinium, which is situated with 

 its woody stem in narrow fissures of rock and only sends forth 

 leaves, Papaver nudicaule, Ranunculus nivalis, which mere- 

 ly requires snow-water, and flowers when the soil is not 

 warmed above 1. Oxyria reniformis is almost as easily 

 satisfied. 



But there are also beautifully decorated spots in Nova Zem- 

 bla, where vegetation breaks forth in all the splendour of co- 

 lours, as it were on the ground, for the beautiful flowers never 

 rise above a few inches high. The purple- coloured flowers of 

 Silene acaulis and Saxifraga oppositifolia, the blue flowers 

 of the tufts of Myosotis villosa, were varied with gold-yellow 

 Ranunculuses and Drapa alpina, mixed with peach-blossomed 

 Parryce, white Cerastia, blue Polemonia, and the sweet little 

 Forget-me-not, and gave the impression of a variegated carpet. 

 Although this vegetation evidently coincides with that of the 

 alpine regions of southern mountains, yet M. v. Baer observes 

 that here the individual plants occur in greater masses, while 

 in Nova Zembla they are more scattered and mixed with one 

 another, so that in a walk of halfawerst almost half the Flora 

 of Nova Zembla is found united. 



Especially favoured spots, entirely clothed with a pretty 

 dense covering of plants, are very rare on Nova Zembla ; the 

 Ranunculuses, with the exception of Ranunculus nivalis, are al- 

 most solely confined to those spots abundant in humus. 



But how is it possible for a larger vegetation to occur in 

 these inhospitable islands, since the warmest month in Nova 



