NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 21 



coast of Coromandel, nearly 4000: as many in the island of Ja- 

 maica: in Madagascar, above 5000. In every region there are 

 plants, except in the regions round the pole covered with perpetual 

 snow, on the icy tops of the highest mountains, and in the dry and 

 sandy wastes of Africa. On the bare and barren places where 

 volcanic fires predominate, there are to be found few plants, and 

 those miserably stunted; as in the island of Ascension and Kergue- 

 len's land. 



Climate influences the growth, as well as the form, of every ve- 

 getable product. The plants of the polar regions, and of high 

 mountains, are low, with very small and dose- set leaves, but with 

 flowers proportionally large. The plants of Europe have no very 

 showy flowers, and many of them are catkins : the Asiatic climates 

 are particularly rich in splendid flowers : the African plants have, for 

 the most part, very succulent leaves and variegated flowers. Ame- 

 rican plants are remarkable for long smooth leaves, and the singu- 

 lar structure of their flowers and fruits. The plants of New Hol- 

 land are distinguished by thin dry leaves, and a more compressed 

 form. Those of the Archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, are in 

 general .shrubby and prickly. The plants of Arabia are of a low 

 and stunted growth, f n the Canaryisl ands, the most of the plants 

 and even genera that in other climates are herbaceous, become 

 either shrubs or trees. 



The resemblance between the trees and shrubs of northern Asia 

 and America js remarkable, though the herbaceous and perennial 

 plants of both these parts of the world have almost nothing in 

 common, with respect to form. The following comparative list 

 will make this apparent : 



Corresponding Plants in 

 In northern Asia grow North America. 



Acer cappadocicum Acer saccharinum. 



' Acer Pseudoplatanus Acer montanum. 



Azalea pontica Azalea viscosa. 



Betula davurica Betula populifolia* 



Alnus glutinosa Alnus serrulata, 



Corylus Colurna Corylus rostrata. 



Crataegus sanguinea, Pall. Crataegus occinea. 

 c 3 



