n6 PLANT GEOGRAPHY 



graduates into the sand-steppes or Spinifex desert and 

 salt deserts of the driest regions 



It is remarkable that the characteristic phyllodineous 

 Acacias, Eucalyptus and Melaleuca, of Australia do not 

 occur in New Zealand or New Caledonia. 



In South America, south of the tropical forest area of 

 Bolivia and North Argentina and the nitrate-desert of 

 Atacama in Northern Chile, we have a counterpart of 

 eastern Australia with its well-watered region between 

 the ocean and the coast range, and the savannah and 

 desert extending on the other side of the range. The 

 range is, however, near to the western shore in America, 

 to the eastern in Australia. 



Of this extra-tropical Andine flora half the genera and 

 four-fifths of the species are endemic, while no less than 

 a quarter of the species belong to the Composite. The 

 genus Baccharis alone is represented by 250 species. 

 Representatives of the Restiacece and Mutisiaceca suggest 

 some remote connection with South Africa, while the 

 characteristically Andine genus Trop&olum may be con- 

 sidered to represent the allied African Pelargonium. 

 The Loasacece and Larrea extend northward to the 

 Mexican area; Fuchsia, (Enothera, and Heliotropium 

 are genera well developed also in Peru, or further north; 

 whilst Calceolaria, Fuchsia, Gunner a, and Accena extend 

 to New Zealand, the Protead Embothrium to Australia, 

 Drimys to New Zealand and Tasmania, and Fitzroya to 

 Tasmania. Libocedrus ranges from California to New 

 Zealand and New Caledonia. 



CHILE. In Northern and Central Chile much of the 

 area is from 9000 to 18,000 feet above sea-level. Here, 

 with Calceolaria, abundant in the Eastern Cordillera of 

 Peru, is the home of Escallonia ; and, in lower regions, 

 where the climate resembles that of the Mediterranean, 

 but with longer periods of drought, while spinous bushes 

 predominate, some tropical forms remain, such as Passi- 

 flora, Peperomia, Oncidium, and Tillandsia. 



PAMPAS REGION. While this region gives place on the 

 south to the Temperate Rain-forest of Valdivia, on the 

 east of the Andes we have the varied conditions of the 

 Pampas Region, which includes most of Argentina, 

 Uruguay, Paraguay, and Patagonia. It is, on the whole, 

 a dry region, thunderstorms and night dews being the 

 chief forms of precipitation. Trees are, therefore, few 



