The Problems of Plant Distribution 245 



ing to a distinctly arid region, are the conspicuous 

 features of the flora. At Port Antonio, on the 

 northern shore, there is a veritable tropical jungle; 

 the trees are laden down with heavy creepers, and 

 dense masses of epiphytes, and aroids, wild ginger, 

 palms, peppers, bananas, and many other repre- 

 sentatives of the wet tropics, crowd the spaces be- 

 tween the creeper-laden trees. Of course in a trop- 

 ical region the differences would be much more 

 marked than in a temperate one, where the 

 conditions for plant growth are so much less 

 intense. 



The amount of moisture and the character of the 

 soil have very much to do with determining the 

 vegetation of any area. The differences between 

 the flora of a swamp, and that of a dry hillside in 

 the immediate neighborhood, are complete, and 

 probably no single plant will be common to both. 

 The floras of peat bogs are almost always exception- 

 ally peculiar. While many plants are quite unable to 

 live in these, there are others which have adapted 

 themselves to the very peculiar conditions of the bog 

 and refuse to grow elsewhere. Some of the most 

 beautiful orchids, the pitcher-plants, and sundews 

 belong to this category. 



Character of Soil a Factor in Distribution. The 

 question of soil is a very complicated one and in- 

 volves numerous factors. Many plants are exceed- 

 ingly sensitive to the character of the soil in which 

 they grow. Thus many of the Heath family, 



