Book I. DISTRIBUTION OF THE BRITISH FLORA. 273 



1748. The bread-corn of the temperate climates is chiefly wheat and maize ; of the hot 

 climates rice, and of the coldest climates barley. 



1749. The edible roots of the old world are chiefly the yam, sweet potatoe, onion, car- 

 rot, and turnip ; of the new the potatoe. 



1 750. The oleraceous herbs of temperate climates are chiefly the brassica family, and 

 other cruciferae. In hot climates pot-herbs are little used. Legumes, as the pea, bean, 

 and kidney-bean, are in general use in most parts of the old world. 



1751. The fruits of the northern hemisphere belong chiefly to the orders of Pomaceae, 

 Amygdalineaj, Grossularese, Rosaceae, Viticese, and Araentaceae. 



1752. The fruits of the East Indies belong chiefly to Myrtaceae, Guttiferese, Auranteae, Musacese, Palmse, 

 Cucurbitacese, Myristiceffi, &c. 



1753. The fruits of China are chiefly of the orders of Auranteas, Myrtaceae, Rhamneae, Pomaceae,' Amygda- 

 linese, Palmae, &c. 



1754. The fruits of Africahelong to SapotejE, Palmae, Chrysobalaneae, Guttiferee,'ApocinesB, Papilionaceae, 

 Musacese, and CucurbitaceEe. 



1755. The fruits of South America belong to Annonaceae, Myrtacese, Terebintaceae, Myristice^, Palmae, 

 Bromeliaceae, Sapoteae, Laurinee, Chrysobalanete, Musaceffi, Papilionaceae, and Passifloreas. 



1 75^. The most showy herbaceous flowers of the temperate zone belong to Rosaceae, 

 Liliaceae, Irideae, Ericinse, Ranunculacese, Priraulacese, Caryophylleae, Gentianeae, &c. 

 Those of the torrid zone belong to the Scitaminese, Amaryllideae, Bignoniaceaj, Mela- 

 stomacese, Magnoliaceae, Papilionaceae, Apocineas, &c. 



1757. The most useful timher-trees of temperate climates are of the pine or fir kind ; of warm climates 

 the palm and bamboo. The universal agricultural order is the Graminece. 



Sect. VII. Arithmetical Distribution of Vegetables. 



1758. The total number of species of plants known, amounted in 1820 to about 

 44,000, of which 38,000 have been described. According to Humboldt and R. 

 Brown, they are thus distributed: in Europe 7000; in temperate Asia 1500; in 

 equinoctial Asia and the adjacent islands 4500 ; in Africa 3000; in temperate America, 

 in both hemispheres, 4000; in equinoctial America 13,000; in New Holland and the 

 islands of the Pacific Ocean 5000 ; in all 38,000. In Spitzbergen there are 30 species 

 of perfect plants; in Lapland 534; in Iceland 533; in Sweden 1299; in Scotland 900; 

 in Britain 1400; in Brandenburg 2000; in Piedmont 2800 ; in Jamaica, Madagascar, 

 and the coast of Coromandel, from 4000 to 5000. It is now (anno 1824) believed that 

 there may be from 100,000 to 200,000 species of plants. Such is the progress of 

 ideas. 



Sect. VIII. Distribution of the British Flora, indigenous and exotic. 



1 759. About thirteen thousand plants compose the Hortus Britannicus, or such species 

 as admit of cultivation. Mosses, Fungi, Fuci, Algae, and Lichens are, with a few excep- 

 tions, excluded. 



1 760. The natives of Britain which enter into this Hortus are upwards of 1 400 species ; 

 but the native British Flora contains in all above 3300 species. Of these there are about 

 1437 cotyledonous plants, and nearly 1893 of imperfect, or of what are termed, in the 

 Jussieuean system, acotyledoneaa. 



1761. Of the cotyledonous or perfect plants, 182 are trees or shrubs ; 855 are peren- 

 nials ; 60 are biennials ; and 340 annuals. Of the trees and shrubs, 47 are trees ; 25 

 above thirty feet high, and the remainder under thirty, but above 10 feet high. Of the 

 perennials 83 are grasses ; the next greatest number belong to the two first orders of the 

 class Pentandria ; the next to the Syngenesia ; and the third to Moncecia Triandria, or 

 the Cyperaceee of Jussieu, comprehending chiefly the genus Carex. Most of the bien- 

 nials belong to the first order of the 19th class, and the two first orders of Pentandria. 

 There are 41 annual grasses ; 52 annuals belong to the two first orders of Pentandria ; 

 and the next greatest number of annuals to Diadelphia Decandria, which includes the 

 trefoils and vetches. 



1762. Of the Cryptogamece, or imperfect plants, 800 are fungi ; 18 algae , 373 lichens ; 

 85 hepatica; ; 460 musci ; and 130 ferns ; according to an estimate (in Rees's Cyclop. 

 art. Plant,) understood to be made by Sir J. E. Smith. 



1763. In regard to the distribution of the perfect plants as to elevation, little or nothing 

 has been yet generalised on the subject. In regard to soils, 276 are found in bogs, and 

 marshy or moist places ; 1 40 on the sea-shores ; 1 28 in cultivated grounds ; 121 in mea- 

 dows and pastures ; 78 in sandy grounds ; 76 in hedges and on hedge-banks ; 70 on 

 chalky and other calcareous soils ; 64 on heaths ; 60 in woods ; 30 on walls ; 29 on 

 rocks ; and 19 on salt-marshes; reckoning from Galpine's Compend. Fl. Brit. 



1764. In the distribution of the Cryptogamece, the ferns prevail in rocky places and 

 wastes ; most of the musci, hepatici, and lichens, on rocks and trees ; most of the fuci 

 and algee in the sea ; and of the fungi, on decaying vegetable bodies, especially trunks 

 of trees, manures, &c. 



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