DERIVATION OF THE FLORA AND FAUNA 283 



of Antarctic origin: Serpyllopsis caespitosa, Hymenoglossum cruentum(?), Lopho- 

 -soria quadripinnata. — 3 sp. 



3. Endemic species without near relatives in America, suggesting either an 

 ancient southern Pacific west-east path or an Antarctic-Magellanian track now 

 not occupied: Dicksonia berteroana and externa, Arthropteris altescandens, Blech- 

 num Schottii, Pteris berteroana. — 5 sp. 



4. Species closely related to S. African ones. — 2 sp. 



a. Endemic: Blechnum cycadifolium. 



b. Also on the mainland: Blechnum auriculatum. 



5. Endemic species very nearly related to a neotropical species: Blechnum 

 longicauda. — i sp. 



6. Endemic genus without affinities to living genera: Thyrsopteris elegans. 

 — I sp. 



II. Neotropical- Andean element. — 20 sp. (37.7 %). 



a. Endemic species (8): Trichomanes Ingae and philippianum, Dryopteris 

 inaequalifolia, Asplenium stellatum and macrosorum, Pellaea chilensis, Polypodium 

 intermedium, Ophioglossum fernandezianum. 



b. Also on the mainland, restricted to Chile or more wide-ranging (10): Tricho- 

 manes exsectum, Hymenophyllum cuneatum, caudiculatum, fuciforme and pecti- 

 natum, Adiantum chilense, Pteris chilensis and semiadnata, Polypodium Masafuerae 

 and lanceolatum. 



c. Non-endemic neotropical species not found in Chile (2): Polypodium tricho- 

 inanoides, Elaphoglossum Lindenii. 



III. Arcto-teftiary element. — i sp. (1.9 %). 

 Also in Chile: Cystopteris fragilis var. 



The Antarctic element is considerably larger than in the angiosperms, 60.4 % 

 against 42.2, the neotropical being of the same size, 37.7 and 36.7%. On the other 

 hand, the boreal element is very insignificant (even open to doubt). No living 

 pteridologist has a wider general knowledge of the ferns than E. B. Copeland, and 

 «ven if his new system does not appeal to everybody, we are bound to pay attention 

 to his theories. In several of his writing he points, as we have seen, to Antarctica 

 as the main source. On the other hand he admits that 



ferns existed well over the world longer ago than I have would try to explain their 

 presence as immigrants from Antarctica, and must be supposed to have maintained 

 ■continuous existence elsewhere. This being so, the preponderance of ferns of apparent 

 Antarctic origin in the world to-day is surprising indeed ((5/. 188). 



This origin is not readily revealed in the large and world-wide families and 

 genera; the best proofs are furnished by small families restricted to high southern 

 latitudes and bi- or tricentric in distribution — most of these families have been 

 created as a result of the modern splitting process. With a single southern genus 

 in a large tropical family we cannot feel on safe ground, and if in a large tropi- 

 cal genus only a solitary species is southern, we are not inclined to classify 



